Doom of the Jedi
by Onimiman
Summary: Sequel to my previous fic, The Second Swarm War. All paths are now cleared for the resurrected Darth Plagueis to begin his plan of taking over all of reality. Meanwhile, the Galactic Alliance is looking for payback against the Jedi Order. Both of these elements spell certain doom for the Jedi. Title idea goes to Loteva; thanks for all the ideas, including the title.
1. Chapter 1

When the _Faux Harla_ and Captain Ford's Mindabaal Custom yacht dropped out of hyperspace to enter the Coruscant system, neither the Muun or droid in the former vessel nor the droid in the latter vessel expected so much debris littering the space around the heart of the galaxy. Nor did either of them expect the long lines of starcruisers that spanned for light years toward Coruscant, all of which were being patrolled by the Coruscant Defense Force.

"Well, this is going to take a lot longer than we thought," Ford, seated in the copilot seat of the _Faux Harla_, remarked to his Master, Darth Plagueis the Immortal, who was piloting the YT-2400.

"I have all of eternity," Plagueis countered idly. "I can wait. Although I do worry about Five-U."

"Master?" Ford inquired.

"If and when he is searched," Plagueis said, "he could potentially ruin everything by telling the authorities about me."

"Oh," Ford said. "Well, don't worry, Lord Plagueis, if he is in danger of revealing your plans, he will explode."

Plagueis looked in askance at Ford.

"Precaution I took on him and myself before we brought you back from the dead," Ford explained. "On the off-chance that we would, you know, succeed in giving you another chance at becoming immortal."

"Good thinking," Plagueis remarked.

A few minutes later, the _Harla_ and the Mindabaal were boarded. The soldiers who searched the former vessel were strong-minded, but Plagueis was still able to perform a successful mind trick on them, telling them that they had no need to see his identification. And because of the false transponder code that Ford had installed for the _Harla_, the authorities had no reason to suspect that this was the ship that had belonged to Jedi Master Jaina Solo Fel, who violated the Jedi exile from Coruscant by coming to the planet weeks ago. A_s_ for Five-U, the soldiers found nothing more odd or strange than his pornozines. Hence, the two ships were allowed to pass through for Coruscant.

"Where do we go?" Plagueis asked Ford as he piloted the ship through the planet's skies.

"The business district," Ford told him. "I keep my wealth there, as well as an apartment. I made sure it would be comfortable for you, Master."

"No one asks a droid why they would want Muunoid comforts when you're one of the richest beings in the galaxy," Plagueis reflected. "I love how business can deflect obvious questions... And lead to the rise of the first truly immortal Sith Lord in the galaxy." He couldn't help but smile viciously.

.

When Tenel Ka finally returned home with Allana and the Hapan fleet from Coruscant, night had fallen over the Royal Palace, and the Queen Mother took it upon herself to tuck her daughter into bed.

"Mommy?" Allana inquired after she was all snuggled up.

"Yes, honey?" Tenel Ka asked.

"If I never wanted to go back to the Jedi Order," she said, "would that be okay?"

A faint smile touched Tenel Ka's lips. "It would be just fine, Allana. I would definitely be okay with it."

Allana nodded. "Being with the Jedi Order has brought us nothing but misery and death," Allana continued, her tone drenched in sadness. "Grandma Tenenial died because she was a Jedi. Grandpa Isolder died because he defended the Jedi. Daddy, for all he did, died because of his sister, who was a Jedi. And now, because of all that happened with the Killiks..." Water began to limn her tear ducts.

Tenel Ka immediately enfolded her one arm around her daughter, hugging her as she cried, too. What was now known as the Second Swarm War, while not as disastrous to the galaxy as the conflicts with the Yuuzhan Vong or Darth Caedus were, was unarguably the most personally damaging to Tenel Ka and Allana. Essentially, all of their remaining relatives - Luke, Han, Leia, Jaina, Jag, and Ben - perished during the conflict around the time Allana became part of the Thuruht hive mind.

"You even lost your arm because of the Jedi," Allana whispered. "You lost so many friends, too. I'm glad you left the Order."

After a moment, Tenel Ka replied with, "Me, too."

Allana then pulled away. "So why are we still supporting them?! Why are you allowing them to continue to live in the space of the Hapes Consortium?!"

"Allana." Tenel Ka tried to quiet her down, resorting to the tone of a queen.

"They'll only bring you more harm!" Allana exclaimed. "You have enough to deal with already! So many treacherous, disloyal Hapans you have to lead! How could you do this to yourself? How could you do this to _me_?!"

"What I do with the Consortium has nothing to do with you," Tenel Ka said firmly.

"Yes, it's always been about the Consortium!" Allana screamed. "What all those snobby nobles and greedy money suckers think! That's why you never allowed Daddy to trust in anyone with me! It's because of _you_ that he became bad!"

Tenel Ka's mouth dropped in shock. "Allana... you don't really mean that..."

"You know what Great-Uncle Luke told me?" Allana asked, ignoring her mother's question. "After he woke up from fighting Abeloth for the last time? He told me that Daddy became bad because he saw me stand next to a dark man on the Throne of Balance; a man who helped him beat Abeloth. He feared that I would fall to the dark side, so he fell for me! He did that because he loved me! He sacrificed everything he loved and cared for, killed his own aunt, supported a pointless war, died under his sister's hands, because of _me_! And what did you do? Force him to keep me as a secret from the people you would later trust to protect me? How could you do this to me?! To him?! To yourself, even?!"

Tenel Ka simply sat in silence, regarding her daughter blankly as Allana glared back at her mother angrily for a moment. Then the little girl swiftly turned away and allowed herself to collapse to her side on the bed, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. The Queen Mother reached out her only arm for her daughter's exposed shoulder, only for it to be shrugged off by Allana with a grunt from her.

Taking the hint, Tenel Ka wordlessly stood up from the rocking chair next to Allana's bed and turned for the door. Upon reaching it, she opened it up and allowed herself to pause, hoping that, maybe, her daughter might call her back to her side, apologize for all she said, telling her she didn't mean any of it, and that she just missed her relatives so much. Instead, Allana continued to sob incessantly.

Heaving a sad sigh, the Queen Mother walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Deep in the recesses of the business district of Coruscant, Ford pressed the lone button on the side of a large door that served as the entrance into a vast, abandoned warehouse. The door opened up, and Ford, Plagueis, and Five-U entered, observing the sparse, empty environment.

"This was one of the few structures on the planet to survive the seismic and volcanic activities that occurred about a year ago," Ford explained as the three of them began traveling the length of the warehouse. "As you can see, given that I own this building, I reserved it just in case you, Lord Plagueis, wanted to continue your research for immortality."

"It will do just fine for my research into controlling all of reality," Plagueis said. "A lot of space, a lot of room, no one to question any activity that would go on here. It's just perfect."

"I'm glad you think so," Ford said as he stopped and turned around to face his Master. "So, what should we do now?"

"We get started as soon as possible," Plagueis answered without hesitation.

"Of course," Ford said. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Well, Captain, I don't suppose you happen to know anything about physics, do you?" Plagueis retorted.

"In all my years of activity," Ford said, "I've grown quite an expansive load of knowledge of pretty much all subjects, so I would consider myself as much an expert in physics as any professor in that field."

"Excellent," Plagueis said. "So why don't we start there, with you teaching me the rudimentary material before we learn our way to the more advanced content."

"You mean," Ford said, "you would consider yourself... a student of mine?"

"In terms of physics, yes," Plagueis answered.

"Oh," Ford said, feeling flustered. "Well, in order to do that, I would need some time to set up some things..."

"What did I say about time concerning me?" Plagueis interrupted.

"Oh, yes, of course," Ford replied. "You're very patient."

.

A solemn air hung over the grounds of the Shedu Maad Jedi Academy, with the few hundred Jedi in the entire Order all gathered before the front entryway of the Temple. With them were so many non-Jedi who had familial and friendly connections with those being honored on this day. Not a word was spoken, for none needed to be said; even without the Force conveying the emotions that the Jedi shared among each other, grief permeated the souls of every individual, Force-sensitive and non-Force-sensitive alike. Their expressions couldn't convey that agony better than if they had all been deliberately synchronized in a hive mind.

A hive mind - the reason that this gathering was now taking place.

A few meters from the front of the crowd, holographic photos of those who fell from the recent crisis with the Killiks rested for all to see on this sad occasion. Among the most prominent were the Jedi Masters who died: Saba Sebatyne, Kyp Durron, Octa Ramis, Kyle Katarn, Corran Horn, and Jaina Solo Fel and her non-Force-sensitive husband Jag; Jedi Knights Ben Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo; honorary Jedi Han Solo; and last, but certainly not least, was the Order's very own Grand Master, Luke Skywalker, centered out among all the others.

Standing over the shimmering photos of the departed was a classic wooden podium that the Order's latest Grand Master, an alternate reality version of Kenth Hamner, climbed up to the top of so that he could look out among all the Jedi who were present. His expression was no more or less grief-stricken than anyone else.

He took his eyes away from the Jedi and took out a piece of folded flimsiplast that he opened up and laid on top of the podium's stand. He began reading aloud into the microphone placed on the stand.

"We, the Jedi Order, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, as well as our fellow friends and allies, are gathered here today to honor those who gave their lives in the name of those values," Hamner began. "Who perished to protect the galaxy from those seeking destruction. Who died for what they believed in. Who will be known as heroes from now 'til the end of this Order's existence. While I may not have lived long in this reality myself, I can safely say that if those who we honor here today were anything like those I knew back where I came from, then they were, indeed, heroes.

"And I have absolutely no doubt, at all, whatsoever, that they were anything but that. Some of them went down with very little time to build themselves as the noble guardians that they proved themselves to be; others lived in notoriety for what they did for the galaxy. Regardless of their accomplishments or faults, these heroes have shown that though we maybe vulnerable, even with the Force as our ally, we are still strong because of the Force as our ally. And whether or not the Order itself will last, one thing remains certain, as long as the Force is always with life itself...

"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no death, there is the Force."

.

Allana, isolated and seated in a corner of her bedroom, used the Force to destroy the comm unit placed in her lap, which she was just using to watch the broadcast of the Jedi service on Shedu Maad. She gritted her teeth in anger before throwing the ruined unit to the other side of the room.

How dare Hamner have the gall to end that ceremony with those words, she thought bitterly. They were the biggest lies in the universe, and yet, the Jedi, purveyors of truth they were, regarded it as the very representation that their Order stood for.

Right now, emotion was all that Allana had right now. Ignorance of what to do with herself, with all that she lost, took hold of her being. Passion, the love she felt for those who were now gone, was left to writhe painfully in her being. Death...

Death. Death, Allana came to realize, was the only truth in all of existence.


	3. Chapter 3

Following Grand Master Hamner's eulogy of those who died, the holographic images were taken by Jedi bearers who would place them in the Order's archives, where the names of the fallen would be known and remembered for as long as the records existed. When the bearers all entered the Jedi Temple, the gathering of Jedi spread out as they began to share memories of those who died.

As Hamner walked among the conversing Jedi, he spotted Hapan Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo with two male bodyguards among the crowd and approached them.

When he was close enough to the Queen Mother, he bowed deeply. "It is an honor to see you here, Your Majesty."

Tenel Ka nodded. "Thank you, Grand Master Hamner. I would have felt it to be a disservice to those who had fallen had I not attended."

Hamner nodded. "I am sorry for the losses of the Solos and the Skywalkers. I am curious, however, as to why your daughter is not attending this event. I would have thought that she, of all people, would have come to honor the memories of those such as her grandparents."

Tenel Ka frowned. "She is not well, I am sad to say. The doctors back on Hapes are doing everything in their power to help her recover from being part of the Killik hive mind."

"I hope her recovery is successful, if not speedy," Hamner replied sincerely. "We have lost too many Jedi in this tragic war. It would be horrible to lose the one who is proclaimed to be the Jedi Queen."

Tenel Ka's expression narrowed. "Whether or not she does recover from the hive mind is no longer the Jedi's concern. Allana will not be returning to the Order at all."

Hamner grimaced. "I understand that you feel betrayed given that we failed to inform you of her involvement with the nest of Thuruht, Your Majesty, but-"

"This is not my decision," Tenel Ka interrupted. "It is my daughter's."

"Oh," Hamner said with a neutral expression. "I didn't know that Allana didn't want to be a Jedi any longer."

"She has changed her mind since the events with the Killiks," Tenel Ka explained. "Quite frankly, Grand Master, she believes that the Order is the reason that our family has suffered so much tragedy."

"I see," Hamner said evenly. "Well, thank you of informing me of this, Your Highness. Tell your daughter, though, that she will always have a place in the Order in case she ever wants to return."

"I doubt she will," Tenel Ka responded in a factual way. "But I will let her know. Now, if you will excuse me."

Hamner nodded and allowed the Queen Mother and her bodyguards to mingle with the rest of the crowd.

.

Lando Calrissian and Booster Terrik shook hands as the former's wife, Tendra, was comforting the latter's daughter, Mirax, a little ways away from the two men. Given the red lines underlining Mirax's eyes, it was obvious that she had been crying. Elsewhere, Lando Jr., a.k.a. "Chance," met with the Horn siblings, Valin and Jysella, who also took comfort in each other, and little Chance offered up his stuffed tauntaun to the two of them, which they couldn't help but politely refuse with amused smiles that didn't take anything away from their grief.

"Mirax completely lost it when she heard from Valin and Jysella that Corran died," Booster told Lando after they stopped shaking hands. "Trashed her whole quarters aboard the _Venture_. I actually had to give her a sedative just to calm her down. It would've knocked her out had she been more put together."

"I can only imagine what she and the kids must be going through," Lando commented as he looked to the family that Corran Horn left behind when he perished back in the Reo system. He looked back at the older man. "It was hard enough for me to accept that Jaina, Luke, and Ben were all gone, never mind hearing that Han and Leia died, too. Now I know what Han must've felt when Chewie sacrificed his life on Sernpidal."

"He blamed himself for what happened to the old Wookiee, didn't he?" Booster inquired.

"He isolated himself from everyone who cared about him after that happened," Lando said. "If it were anyone less than Han, Booster, I'd tell ya, they wouldn't have pulled through like he did. He gave the Vong a good beating after that, like we all did, and he came out the survivor he always was." Lando's tone became more melancholy. "Until now, that is. Sure, I don't blame myself for what happened to Han and the others, but... Damn, it's just so hard to accept that they're gone now, Booster." Lando seemed like he was on the verge of crying.

Booster nodded sympathetically. "It ain't easy losing friends, Calrissian, never mind family. I know how hard it is to let go. But, hey, what else can ya do?"

"True," Lando agreed. "At least it'll all heal up, won't it?"

"Eventually, it does," Booster said. "It'll be a long time comin' though."

.

"It's all my fault, you know, Khedryn," Jedi Master Jaden Korr said to his non-Force-sensitive friend, Khedryn Faal.

"What is? Marr's death?" Khedryn asked.

Jaden nodded sadly. "I allowed him to join the task force sent to retrieve Raynar Thul from the Killiks. If I didn't give him my blessing to go, he'd still be alive today."

Khedryn laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "He didn't die because of you, Jaden. He died because of the Killiks."

Jaden knew that his former apprentice and deceased Jedi Knight Marr Idi-Shael, who was one of six Knights that were part of the Thuruht hive mind, died because an alternate reality version of Jacen Solo killed him, but he decided not to broach that with Khedryn. Instead, he looked back at his friend, still with a self-pitying look.

"I'm so sorry you and Marr had to be the ones to carry me into that system where the clones escaped," Jaden said. "I should've never gotten either of you involved. It was my burden to bare alone, and you guys went through so much with me when we went after them. Then I took Marr back to the Jedi Order, and now he's gone. I should've never taken him as an apprentice in the first place."

"Hey, hey, hey," Khedryn said, his tone placating as he actually managed to narrow his lazy eye toward Jaden. "What you did for Marr was the best thing in his life. He'd been stuck with me for years acting as my navigator when he had such a brilliant mathematical mind. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have utilized those skills like he did in the Order, or when we were after the clones. That, and you saved our asses back on Fhost when we first met, so, really, I got nothing to complain about."

"But... Marr..."

"What happened to Marr was something I prepared for when he realized that his Jedi training meant that I'd need to find a new first mate," Khedryn said. His gaze then fell to the grassy ground. "I just wish I could've seen him first, one last time, before he went off on that mission, is all."

Now it was Jaden's turn to lay his hand on his friend's shoulder.

.

Hamner noted other conversations taking place, such as the survivors from the Mission to Myrkr discussing the most recent member of their group, Jaina Solo Fel, and members of Rogue Squadron, like Tycho Celchu, Kell and Tyria Sarkin Tainer, and Gavin Darklighter, all discussing the losses of Luke Skywalker and Corran Horn. Wedge wasn't part of the group, as he, his wife Iella, and his daughters, Syal and Myri, were sharing some words with Jagged Fel's family; Soontir, who had been part of the Thuruht hive mind for a while, comforted his crying wife for all it was worth. Cem, the Fels' "shadowchild," or whatever the Chiss called him, was also trying to calm down his sobbing sister.

Hamner also noticed that just as Rogue Squadron had one absent living member among this gathering, the Myrkr survivors had Master Tesar Sebatyne nowhere in sight. Even Raynar Thul was among the group of survivors, and his presence was casting an awkward mood within the group, considering that, under the Thuruht hive mind, he, along with Allana Solo, led the Killiks to take over the Chiss Ascendancy and the Galactic Alliance for a short time.

"Do you think Tesar should be with his fellow Myrkr survivors, Grand Master Hamner?"

The question came from the gravelly-voiced Mon Calamari Jedi Master who approached him from off to the side, Cilghal. Hamner regarded the Mon Cal evenly.

"Do you think he should, Master Cilghal?" Hamner asked back.

Cilghal shrugged. "It is not in my place to judge. At least Raynar had the courage to attend. I do find it disconcerting, though, that Barabels in general don't grieve for the ones they lost."

"I found it disconcerting that Saba didn't maintain impartial judgment when we confronted the Killiks and the Chiss back at Csilla," Hamner replied. He looked directly at Cilghal. "I still find it hard to believe that you and the other Masters chose her to lead the Order against Daala rather than trust the judgment of my alternate version here."

"We'd been patient enough with Daala, and you know it, from what you told us of what happened in your reality," Cilghal argued. "Saba was the one most able to head a rebellion against her. Your version here would've led us all to die for Daala if we continued to listen to him."

"And Saba would've all led us to die against the Killiks if you continued to listen to her," Hamner replied, his tone becoming more aggressive. "At least you and the others still had the sense to know when you couldn't rely on your leader anymore."

"You served my point exactly," Cilghal concluded smugly.

Hamner narrowed his brow and crossed his arms. "So you're questioning my authority, Master Cilghal." It wasn't an inquiry.

"Right now I'm not," Cilghal said. "But just so you know, in times of crises, we can only trust you so far. I wouldn't push my luck if I were you, Grand Master Hamner."

She then turned and walked away, leaving a peeved Hamner in her wake.


	4. Chapter 4

"You sure you wanna be dropped off here, buddy?" the Weequay airtaxi driver asked the Nautolan at the back of his cab.

"Yes, yes, now here's your fine," the Nautolan said after shipping in his right pocket and tossing some credcoins into the driver's hand.

"This'll do," the Weequay said before unlocking the back doors, allowing his passenger to get out.

As soon as the back door was closed again, the airtaxi zoomed away as quick as possible. That left Nautolan physicist Dr. Puilab Ruk, carrying his one black briefcase, to appraise the abandoned warehouse before him for a few moments before heading to its entrance.

Pressing the lone button on the side, the large warehouse door opened up, and Ruk stepped in cautiously to observe his interior surroundings.

"Welcome, Dr. Ruk," a sniveling yet somehow dark voice said throughout the area.

Ruk stopped dead in his tracks to locate the source of the voice before a towering male Muun appeared before him from behind a durasteel crate.

"Please forgive the rather shabby decor," the Muun said as he approached the Nautolan. "Because it will be your work setting for... well, let's just say, you may want to consider this as your home for a significant amount of time, Doctor."

When the Muun stopped before Ruk, the physicist asked him, "I assume you're my contact?"

The Muun nodded. "I am so gracious that you would dedicate your time to coming here to help me on my project."

"Save it," Ruk replied rudely. "You know why I came here, so cut the crap. Who are you and what do you want from me?"

The Muun smiled. "I am Hego Damask, your new employer for the time being." He bowed in what seemed to be a mock stance.

"Hego Damask?" Ruk asked. "You know, I'm no history buff, but I do recall a Muun who also had the same name."

"Very good, Doctor," the Muun complimented. "For I am that same Muun."

"What? B-but didn't you die?"

"I have. But now I'm back from the dead."

Ruk was silent as he stared, mouth open, for the Muun before he smirked and said, "This is a joke, right?"

The being claiming to be Hego Damask mimicked the Nautolan's own smirk. "Are any of the pieces of evidence regarding your... after-school activities with the more _stunning_ _female_ students a joke, Professor Ruk?"

The physicist's smirk turned into a frown in almost an instant.

"To level with you," Damask continued, "I am also known by another name: Darth Plagueis."

"A Sith Lord?" Ruk inquired.

"Indeed. I can tell you my resurrection story some other time, but for now, let's get down to my area of expertise: Business. I brought you here because I am in need of your expertise and knowledge of everything having to do with physics; quantum mechanics, black hole theories, the whole package. My service droid is very knowledgeable and useful in those areas, but considering that I have more important uses for him - such as funding this enterprise, for instance - I feel that you may be of more help to me."

"And may I ask what you plan to do to me when we're done?" Ruk asked.

Plagueis shrugged. "I'll simply let you go."

"How do I know you won't kill me?" Ruk asked.

Plagueis gave a short laugh. "I don't need to kill you, Doctor. As I said, I have all that evidence that could very well cost you your job; such damning evidence that could cost you your career, no doubt. That is, of course, if you reveal to anyone what will transpire here."

Ruk sighed in defeat. "I guess I have to know what'll transpire here, right?"

Plagueis nodded. "You are going to help me take over all of reality."

The Nautolan physicist gaped in incredulity. "All of reality?_"_

The Muun nodded in affirmation. "So let's get started then." He then turned around and waved him over, prompting the scientist to follow him.

They soon arrived at a table with a hyperdrive on it. "My droid has already informed me of the more basic principles of physics. So can you tell me how a hyperdrive manages light-speed travel, Doctor?"

.

Galactic Alliance Chief of State Wynn Dorvan couldn't help but smack his head against his office desk after reading the proposal, sent by Kuati Senator Gerila Shesh, on his datapad.

A vote of no confidence against Dorvan.

Figures that this proposal should come from the niece of one of the greatest traitors of the New Republic. What's worse is the popularity that this Shesh's proposal seems to be getting.

Ever since the crisis with the Killik nest of Thuruht came to its end, a stunning majority of people, both in the Senate and in the general public, seemed to be blaming him for the Killiks' brief takeover of the Galactic Alliance; as if it was his fault that a group of hive-minded bugs came into the Coruscant system and somehow managed to take over every single individual mind in the system.

But Dorvan knew what all this was really about; this was just an excuse by all his detractors to get him impeached on account of allowing Jedi Master Jaina Solo Fel to Coruscant that one time, which violated the Jedi ban on Alliance borders. What's more, even if those detractors' real intentions were revealed, they now had more weight, given that he didn't order the Alliance's military forces to fire on the remaining Jedi forces after the Killiks all killed themselves. He'd be surprised if Javis Tyrr himself didn't criticize Dorvan for going against the Jedi while the Killiks still posed a genuine threat.

It was a shame that the Galactic Alliance still allowed Kuat a seat in the Senate, Dorvan thought sardonically. He was all for fairness and democracy, but considering both the New Republic and Galactic Alliance's luck with Kuati Senators, he wondered why they weren't banned from the Alliance already. Again, Viqi Shesh was a treacherous opportunist who allowed the Yuuzhan Vong to cripple the New Republic when they took Coruscant. Her successor, Haydnat Treen, was just as bad when she allied with Imperial Moff Drikl Lecersen and several other officials in Alliance High Command to form an ultimately-failed conspiracy circle to take over both governments.

Maybe third time would be the charm. It's too bad that it would be too late before Kuat probably would be banned from the Alliance, as Dorvan would no doubt have been impeached at the time.


	5. Chapter 5

Raynar sighed in depression as he stared ahead at the open entrance into what would be his cell for Force-knew-how-long, as it had once been after he recovered from being UnuThul nine years ago. With obvious reluctance but no real defiance, Raynar allowed Master Cilghal to gently guide him by the arm toward the cell.

"I'm so sorry that it has to be like this again, Raynar," the Mon Calamari Master said to him as she walked him into the cell. "But we'll make you better again, just like we did last time. And you won't ever have to deal with Killiks ever again, if I have any say in it."

"At least I got to attend the funeral for everyone who died because of me," Raynar said after Cilghal released his arm and moved to leave the cell.

The Mon Calamari turned away from the exit to look sympathetically into Raynar's eyes. "That wasn't you in control, Raynar, and you know it," she said in a soothing tone that sharply contrasted with her gravelly vocals. "You bore no responsibility for those who died in the Second Swarm War. That was all Thuruht. Remember that."

"I know, I tell myself that all the time, Master Cilghal," Raynar said, looking to his feet in self-pity. He then looked back up at the Jedi Master, his eyes tearing up. "But it was me that Thuruht used to make them powerful, to make them go as far as they did. Because of me, two galactic civilizations nearly fell, and so many Jedi Masters, like Grand Master Skywalker, and Jaina and her parents, are gone."

He began choking up as he began sobbing. "And when I... looked at everyone... there, at the... funeral, I... saw the way... they looked at me. They all blamed me... for what had happened... to everyone... they ever cared for! Even Tahiri, Tekli, Lowie..." He couldn't help but put a fist in his own mouth. "Oh, Lowie..." Raynar then stepped back across the cell until he hit the padded wall behind him and suck to his rear end, tears flowing freely down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Cilghal calmly and carefully walked towards Raynar and knelt down next to him to place a flipper on his shoulder to try and calm him down. "There was nothing you could do then, Raynar, and there's nothing you can do now. You can't fix the lives that Thuruht destroyed. But you know what you can do?"

"What?"

"Learn to continue, move on, and live while you still can. No one who ever died because of the Killiks would want you to live like this, Raynar. I certainly don't."

Raynar managed to look directly into the Mon Calamari's face. "Thank you, Master Cilghal."

The Jedi Master offered a human-like nod and a genuinely friendly smile before saying, "It's okay. Everything is going to be fine. And it'll all get even better in time."

She then lifted her hand off his shoulder, stood up, turned around, and left the cell to lock Raynar in.

.

Hapan psychiatrist Dr. Valan Gordrom allowed himself to be led toward Chume'da Allana Djo Solo's bedroom by the male Hapan nurse at his side. Once the two of them stopped outside the locked door, the nurse knocked on it.

"Chume'da," the nurse called, "you have a visitor. May he come in?"

"Yes," Allana's emotionless voice came from the other end.

The nurse then unlocked and opened the door, waving Gordrom in. Once the doctor had entered, the door closed, but it didn't lock, leaving the psychiatrist alone with the Princess of Hapes.

She was sitting on the floor with her back against her bed. Her plain white pajamas appeared disheveled on her form; obviously, she had been wearing the P.J.'s for quite some time. Her red hair was greasy, as if she hadn't taken a bath in days.

But what really caught Gordrom's attention were the lifeless eyes that stared back at him.

"Hello, Allana," he said in a friendly tone as he moved to grab a seat from the side of the room. "I'm Dr. Gordrom. I'm here to speak to you about your recent experiences with the Killiks." He then sat down in the chair, laid the suitcase that he brought with him on his lap, opened it, and took out a datapad before closing the case back up and laying it off to his side. "Is that all right with you, or should I come back some other time?"

Allana blinked lazily before answering. "Might as well get it out of the way as soon as possible," she said in her flat tone.

"Okay then," Gordrom said. "So, Allana, may I ask: How are you today?" He already had a good idea as to how the Chume'da was feeling at this point; he read her profile, and was quite aware of the fact that within the span of a few days, she lost nearly everyone she ever loved and cared about, and became the queen of a Killik hive mind for a time. But it was protocol that he ask anyway.

Allana was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Angry, sad, depressed, lonely," she said in an apathetic tone.

Just as he figured. "And by the sound of your tone," Gordrom pointed out, "you don't know how to deal with any of those emotions."

Again, silence permeated the air between the two of them before Allana spoke in that lifeless voice again. "Yes."

"Well, if you can work with me, Allana," Gordrom said, "I can help you work through with dealing with those emotions, and we can make you feel better."

"Feel better?" Allana retorted. "Why should I have to feel better after what I've been through?" Her tone took on an edge of anger.

"Why should you have to continue living in depression after what you've been through?" Gordrom asked in as gentle a tone as he could.

"Because it's what I _should_ be feeling," Allana answered with a growl. "Do you think I could just go back out there in the Consortium, maybe even return to the Jedi Order, with a cheery view of life after losing my grandparents, my aunt, uncle, great-uncle, and cousin, and losing my individuality to a buncha _bugs_?"

"Well, obviously, the process won't be immediate," Gordrom said. "It will take time, I'm not going to lie to you about that. But together, I think that if you let me help you, you can come out of this with a more positive outlook than you have now."

"Again, why should I?"

"Allana, may I ask you this?" Gordrom said. "Did _everyone_ you ever loved and cared for die recently?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Allana retorted.

"Can you answer that question, Allana?"

The Chume'da scowled. "Yes. Everyone."

Gordrom regarded her with a confused expression. "But what about your mother? She's still alive."

"So?"

Gordrom was silent, wondering why Allana seemed to be disregarding her own mother in this discussion. "Well, don't you care about her?"

This time, Allana was silent for nearly twice as long than before, as she actually seemed to be mulling over Gordrom's question. "I used to."

Gordrom raised his eyebrows in consternation. "You mean you don't anymore?"

"Why should I still care about her? She puts everything before me. The Consortium, the Jedi Order, all the wars that happen."

"She is busy woman, you know," Gordrom pointed out. "She has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders."

"And she's not doing a good job of fulfilling any of them," Allana growled.

"Oh? And why do you think that?"

She then told him what he told her mother; about her blaming Tenel Ka for mismanaging both of their lives with what she viewed as extremely poor decisions that ultimately led to the death of her father, Jacen Solo, a.k.a. the late Darth Caedus. Gordrom remained silent as Allana went on with her diatribe.

"I see," he said when she had finished. "You harbor a lot of resentment towards your mother."

"Aren't you astute," Allana retorted.

"So, on top of blaming your mother for the death of your father," Gordrom said, "do you also blame her for the losses of the rest of your family, as well as your involuntary cooperation with the Killiks?"

"How could I not?" Allana spat. "It's because of her that I joined the Jedi Order in the first place. Had that not been the case, maybe I wouldn't have joined the Killiks, and Grandma and Grandpa and Great-Uncle Luke might still be alive."

"Hmm. You don't mention your Aunt Jaina, Uncle Jag, or cousin Ben."

"They died because of Sith," Allana said. "Part of being in the Jedi Order."

"I noticed that you make it sound as if you blame your mother for you joining the Jedi Order, as if you didn't have a choice. Did you not want to be part of it of your own free will?"

Allana sighed. "I did."

"You did?"

"Yes."

"So how could you blame your mother for being in the Jedi Order if you wanted to be there in the first place?" Gordrom asked.

Allana scoffed. "Like it would have been my choice anyway."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Great-Uncle Luke told me that I had a special destiny."

"What kind of special destiny?"

"He saw me sitting on this throne. The Throne of Balance. He said I would be the Jedi Queen who would maintain Balance in the galaxy, in the Force. How could I turn that down even if I didn't want to be part of the Order?"

"As far as I know, your mother has told the Jedi Order that even with this special destiny for you, you won't be returning to it. Is that correct?"

Only a few seconds of silence passed this time. "It is."

"Okay. But even if this special destiny didn't exist - or, rather, your Great-Uncle Luke didn't tell you, or didn't have this vision - was it still not your choice to be part of the Jedi Order?"

Allana's nostrils flared, but she managed to control herself from lashing out. "Yes," she answered simply.

"I see," Gordrom said again. "So I take it that you blame the Jedi Order for all that happened to you recently more than your own mother."

"They're both responsible."

"But do you not have any responsibility in this yourself, Allana?"

The Chume'da bared her teeth in anger. "What's your point, Doctor?"

"Well, based on what you're telling me so far," he said as he gave a glance at his datapad, "it seems that you blame everything bad that's happened to you on the wrong people."

"Are you saying that _I'm_ to blame for everything bad that's happened to me?" Allana asked, fury mounting in her voice.

"As much as your mother and the Jedi Order are," Gordrom replied, his tone unwavering from Allana's obvious anger. "Tell me, who was it exactly who killed your family?"

"The Sith, the Killiks, and the Chiss," Allana answered as if it were obvious.

"And who was it that made you part of their hive mind?"

"The Killiks."

"So why are you blaming everyone but them for what's happened to you?"

Allana opened her mouth to speak, but found that no words would emerge for a while. "I... I don't know."

"Well, that's why I'm here, Allana," Gordrom said reassuringly. "I want to work with you to see just why you seem to be targeting everyone but the people who have caused these events in your life. So, will you allow me to do that?"

Allana's lips thinned in a narrow line. "I will."

Gordrom smiled. "Good. So let's get down to that, shall we?"


	6. Chapter 6

Three StealthXs dropped out of hyperspace into the unknown system where Zonama Sekot orbited. A few minutes later, they received a hailing frequency from the living planet, which the lead pilot, Jedi Master Tahiri Veila, activated and synchronized with the other two pilots.

On the viewscreen in front of Tahiri was the familiar face of scientist Danni Quee. "Hello, Tahiri. To what do I and Sekot owe the pleasure of your return?"

"Hi, Danni," Tahiri returned. "We're looking for a Sith Lord named Darth Plagueis. We understand that he was here once, not too long ago. Can Sekot help us out by telling us where he is?"

"We could tell you had Plagueis not rid either of his ships of the tracking beacons that one of our Ferroan agents placed upon it before he and his droids left," Danni explained. "Once the vessels achieved spaceflight, they electrocuted their hulls to destroy the beacons. I'm afraid you're on your own here, Tahiri."

"Wait, you said that Plagueis had droids, right?" Tahiri asked.

"I did, why?"

"Do you know what models they were?"

"I know that one of 'em was an old OneOne-FourDee that looked like it went through several retrofits," Danni said. "I couldn't tell you anything about the other. Must've been a newer model that came out recently."

"OneOne-FourDee, eh?" Tahiri asked. "Not a model I'm familiar with."

"They're very rare these days, Master Veila," Jedi Knight Bandy Geffer, one of the two Knights in the StealthX trio, said over the comm. "They're worth an emperor's fortune if anyone ever found a copy of them."

"You're a Master now, Tahiri?" Danni asked in an impressed tone.

"The Order was short on Masters recently," Tahiri said curtly before addressing Bandy. "Jedi Geffer, do you think we could use the fact that one of Darth Plagueis's droids is a OneOne-FourDee as a clue."

"I say it's something we could work with," Bandy agreed.

"All right," Tahiri said before returning her attention to Danni. "Could you tell us about the ships, Danni?"

"Well, one of them was a Mindabaal Custom yacht, and the other was a YT-2400," Danni explained.

"Good. That'll really help us now. Thanks for the info, Danni. I'd really like to stay here for a while on Zonama, you know, just to catch up on things, but there's a Sith Lord loose in the galaxy, and I'd rather not have Grand Master Hamner up my ass about not doing my duties."

Danni nodded in understanding, though her expression managed to convey that she regretted that Tahiri couldn't pay a more personal visit. "I hope you stop this guy," she said.

"I hope so, too," Tahiri said. "Later, Danni."

"Bye, Tahiri."

Tahiri then cut off communication, and then she and the other two StealthXs - piloted by Bandy and Jedi Knight Yaqeel Saav'etu - turned away from Zonama to disappear back into hyperspace.

.

When Dr. Ruk woke up in a spare room in the upper level of the warehouse, it was to the sound of several moving vehicles below. He pushed himself out of bed, pulled on his clothes, and left the room to see what was going on.

He walked out onto the catwalk that overlooked the main area of the warehouse, where he had been teaching Plagueis about advanced physics for the past week. There, several hovertrucks had been parked and workers of varying species were offloading large pieces of equipment and machinery at the end of the room that opposed the exit of the warehouse.

Ruk found Plagueis standing the center of the activity as the Sith Lord observed the workers' progress silently. The Nautolan physicist headed for the nearest staircase and climbed down, moving around the workers, to reach Plagueis.

"What's going on here?" Ruk asked the Muun.

"The beginning of our project, Dr. Ruk," Plagueis informed him. "These gentlebeings around us will assemble the machinery around us so that we may get to work on it."

"Do they know what they're assembling?" Ruk asked.

Plagueis shook his head. "They're the kind of people who don't ask any questions."

"Convenient," Ruk remarked. "But I haven't even finished with any of my lectures with you yet. Hell, you didn't even go through so much as quiz. How could I be sure of you, or rather, how could you be so sure of yourself that we can just go ahead with this after a week?"

"If I wasn't so sure of myself, I wouldn't be going through with this already," Plagueis said. "I'm not what you would call a gambling man, Doctor. I gambled once before, and I literally paid for it with my life." He then looked away from the Nautolan, lost in memory over the event from which he died.

"Well, I'm not sure if we're ready to do this just yet," Ruk argued. "And I'm the guy with his doctorate in physics, so I think we should-"

"And I'm a Master of the Force," Plagueis interrupted. "Know this, Professor Ruk. No matter what the bounds of science may say, the Force can overcome all of them."

"If the Force can overcome all the laws of the universe," Ruk countered, "then why do you need me and this machine to do your bidding?"

"Because science is still a major concern to factor in here," Plagueis answered. "Just not as much with the Force involved."

"So it's a half-and-half thing here?"

"Precisely."

Ruk sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Plagueis smirked. "I always do."

_If that were the case, you wouldn't have died in the first place_, Ruk thought. But he felt that saying that aloud in front of an arrogant, egotistical Sith would be a bad idea.

Plagueis frowned. "I'll let that idea slide... for now, Doctor."

Ruk scowled. "You can read minds, too?"

"Just enough to understand the sentiment," Plagueis replied. "You're lucky that you're useful to my cause. Otherwise, I would have killed you in front of all these workers and not give a damn; especially since I could kill all of them before they even left this warehouse."

Ruk gulped in fear, completely forgetting about the incriminating evidence against him.


	7. Chapter 7

The votes came in a few hours earlier. Wynn Dorvan was no longer Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance.

At least he had a good retirement benefit for his one year of service in the Galactic Alliance, he thought as collapsed into the form-fitting chair in his apartment. The one thing that did concern him, though, was who the Senate was going to elect as their next governmental leader.

He used his remote control to open up the HoloNet to watch the news and see who were in the polls as the next Chief of State. He found that the nominations had already come in, and the three contenders were Senator Werl Juq of Commenor, Senator Hilan Pabe of Corulag, and, much to Dorvan's complete and utter lack of shock, Senator Gerila Shesh of Kuat; the very same Senator who called for that vote of no confidence against Dorvan.

It was bad enough, Dorvan believed, that the Senate actually bought into Shesh's proposal of outing him, but actually _nominate_ her as their next leader? It seems as if everyone but him forgot about who her aunt was; or maybe they just overlooked that and viewed Shesh on the image she made out for herself. One would think that Dorvan was actually being biased against the Kuati Senator for the fact that a dead relative of hers sold out the New Republic to the Yuuzhan Vong.

But whenever he saw Gerila Shesh in the Senate Rotunda, he saw a spitting image of that treacherous witch that convinced Borsk Fey'lya that the Jedi were to blame for the Vong's invasion of the galaxy rather than the actual invaders themselves. And he didn't just see it in her likeness, either; he saw it in the way she carried herself, her personality around others, and just the way she spoke, as if she were secretly plotting to leave the person she was speaking to dead in an alley somewhere later on.

Dorvan sighed and allowed his head to drop back against the headrest of his flowform chair. No doubt that Shesh would win after all. He couldn't help but think that Old Republic Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum had faced this exact same situation when Queen Amidala called for that vote of no confidence against him, which allowed Palpatine to take Valorum's place. Dorvan only hoped that Shesh wasn't an evil Sith Lord plotting to take over the galaxy as Empress.

.

Dressed in plain civilian clothes, Tahiri, Bandy, and the third member of their group - Bothan female Jedi Knight Yaqeel Saav'etu - walked discreetly through the casino of the _Errant Venture_ toward the bar counter. There, when they took their seats on some bar stools, the female Ishi Tib bartender attended to them almost immediately.

"What'll it be, folks?" the bartender asked them.

"Glass of Corellian brandy for me," Tahiri said.

"Same here," Bandy said.

"Just a glass of water, thank you," Yaqeel said.

The Ishi Tib nodded wordlessly and set to work on their drinks. In a few moments, she was finished and laying the glasses out of the disguised Jedi. They all drank their beverages before placing them back down upon the bar.

"So is there any way we can see Captain Terrik?" Tahiri asked the bartender.

The Ishi Tib leaned in and whispered, "What do you wanna see him for?"

"Jedi business," Tahiri answered, mirroring the bartender's whisper.

"Ah," the bartender said. "Well, in that case, you could just see him in his cabin. Top level of the ship, last room you'll find. Knock first, though."

"We'll keep that in mind," Tahiri said before fishing out some credcoins and laying them out onto the top of the counter. "Will these do?"

The Ishi Tib counted the money before looking back up at Tahiri. "They'll do," she said as she collected them. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Tahiri said before she, Bandy, and Yaqeel stood up from their stools and walked away.

Half an hour later, the three Jedi were on the top level of the _Venture_ and reached the last door that they could find there. Tahiri knocked on it.

"Who is it?" Booster Terrik's voice came from the other end of the locked door.

"Members of the Jedi Order, Captain Terrik," Tahiri said. "We need to speak."

Moments later, the door to the cabin cabin slid up, revealing a solemn-looking Booster standing there.

"Tahiri Veila," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We need your help," Tahiri answered. "May we come in?"

Booster spared a look for each of Tahiri's accomplices before nodding. "Sure. Come on in." He then stood out of the way and waved for them to enter.

After the three Jedi entered, the door was closed and locked, and Booster then ambled his way over to his cabin's sofachair. He sat down and motioned for Tahiri, Bandy, and Yaqeel to sit on the couch opposite him.

"So what can I do for you?" Booster asked.

"Well, we were wondering whether or not you could allow us temporary access into the _Venture_'s archives," Tahiri explained.

"What for?"

"We're looking for a OneOne-FourDee droid with a connection to a Mindabaal Custom yacht and a YT-2400," Tahiri answered. "And considering that OneOne-FourDees are extremely rare these days, we were wondering where we could possibly begin to find one."

"OneOne-FourDee with a Mindabaal Custom, you say?" Booster asked. "Well, I don't know about a YT-2400, but I do know of a OneOne-FourDee who owns a Mindabaal."

"Really?" Tahiri asked.

Booster nodded. "He goes by Captain Ford. Comes by here every week or so to drop off some shipments of foodstuffs, booze, and cargo. He's basically a shipper for hire."

"I see," Tahiri said. "When is he expected to stop by next?"

Booster looked at his wrist chrono before looking back at Tahiri. "He's supposed to be here in about a couple hours actually."

"Perfect," Tahiri said as she stood up. The Knights at her sides followed her. "Thank you for the info, Captain Terrik."

"No problem," Booster said. "The Order owes me one, though."

"We'll keep that in mind," Tahiri said with a raised brow.

The three Jedi then left the cabin.


	8. Chapter 8

About a couple hours later, a Mindabaal Custom yacht entered the docking bay of the _Venture_ and parked. Bare minutes later, when the ship had finally cycled down and shut off, the docking ramp lowered itself to the deck and out came two droids; the first was one that Tahiri recognized as a 5U-M4N, and the other was one unknown to her. Each of them were carrying a durasteel box of foodstuffs, as could be identified by the lettering on their sides.

"A OneOne-FourDee," Bandy beside her confirmed. "I think it's safe to say those are the droids we're looking for."

"So what do we do now?" Yaqeel asked. "Do we confront them?"

"No," Tahiri denied. "I have a better idea."

When the 11-4D and 5U-M4N were offloading the foodstuff boxes onto a hoverbed handled by a Rodian member of Booster's crew, the three Jedi disappeared in a flash as they used Force speed to zoom to the open landing ramp of the Mindabaal. Tahiri entered first, then Bandy, and Yaqeel entered last. They reverted to regular walking speed as the Master among them began running her gloved fingers along the metallic floor until her fingers found a seam where one shouldn't have been. She then lifted the deck plating up to reveal an empty smuggling area, fit to store at least five humanoids; perfect for hiding two humans and a Bothan.

"You learn a few things when you hang around with the great Han Solo," Tahiri said to the Knights before they slipped into the smuggling compartment. The days when she was with Han and Leia during the Yuuzhan Vong War when they were all traveling from Mon Calamari to Galantos and then Bakura were never forgotten for Tahiri; especially not since Han and Leia died recently...

Putting those thoughts aside, Tahiri pulled the false plating over her and the Knights' heads as if the deck was never disturbed.

A few moments later, 11-4D and 5U-M4N reappeared in the corridor under which the three Jedi were hiding and continued for the cargo hold of their ship. 11-4D was carrying a briefcase, no doubt carrying the payment that he and 5U-M4N received for delivering their cargo.

When they neared the false deck plating, 11-4D stopped in his tracks as 5U-M4N continued for a few steps before stopping himself and turning around to face his counterpart.

"Hey, Captain, what's wrong?" 5U-M4N asked the other droid.

The three Jedi hiding beneath them all held their breaths in anticipation as to whether or not 11-4D would realize their presence.

A moment later, however, 11-4D shook his head, as if clearing it of a stray thought like a humanoid, and said to 5U-M4N, "Nothing. Just a glitch. I'll have it checked out later. Let's get back to unloading the foodstuffs."

The two droids continued on their way. Several runs of unloading more boxes of foodstuffs later, 11-4D and 5U-M4N came back down the corridor one last time as they headed for the cockpit.

Two minutes later, an electrical charge ran through the smuggling compartment, knocking all three Jedi unconscious in an instant.

.

Ford sat down in the pilot seat, setting the briefcase of credits on his side away from Five-U, while his first mate set himself in the copilot's chair.

"Good call on the intruders, Cap," Five-U said in the Mindabaal's copilot seat as he and his counterpart began turning the ship back on. "I can't believe I didn't spot that on our second run."

"If you hadn't been thinking of porn at the time, you'd've noticed, too," Ford replied.

"You should try it some time," Five-U quipped playfully. "It's really fun."

"I'll think about it," Ford replied sardonically. "In any case, it's good that you didn't spot that fresh glove print at the seam of the fake deck plating; otherwise, we would've alerted the intruders that we were on to 'em."

"You can spot glove prints?" Five-U asked.

"I installed that feature in you, as well, in case any intruders managed to sneak aboard and hide themselves," Ford explained. "If you turned it on, you wouldn't be surprised."

"Was that feature also next to the one that would have me explode?" Five-U asked in a mildly resentful tone.

"Well, not exactly next to it," Ford answered as the ship completely turned on. "Don't take that bomb inside you personally, Five-U. Just a precaution for Master Plagueis. His plans are too important to jeopardize for either of our lives."

Five-U sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"Anyway," Ford said, not seeming to notice Five-U's depression of learning how truly expendable he was, "we're changing course from Coruscant to Myrkr."

"What for?"

"When I read their life signs, I got high midi-chlorian counts from each of them," Ford explained. "Whether they're Jedi or Sith is irrelevant at this point, but I'm eighty-eight percent sure that they are Jedi. And going to Myrkr is a safe bet, as they'll be cut off from the Force, so we can interrogate them without fearing for our lives. After they tell us what they know, we can kill 'em."

"Ah, I see," Five-U said with a nod. "But I doubt they'll be unconscious for the rest of the trip."

"I'll send jolts of electricity in the cargo compartment to knock them out when they wake up again, which should be in an hour or so," Ford explained. "Do that every time until we reach Myrkr no problem."

Ford then piloted the Mindabaal up off the hangar deck of the _Venture_, turned away, and zoomed out into space.

.

After his second session with Allana, Dr. Gordrom returned home to his high-rent apartment and was greeted with a kiss by his typically beautiful Hapan wife, Sipa.

"How was work today, honey?" Sipa asked him.

When Gordrom opened his mouth to answer, words failed to come. He then started convulsing, much to his wife's concern, before he collapsed back to the floor. His convulsions turned into an uncontrollable bodily campaign of shaking as his eyes started to bleed from their ducts and his mouth foamed like a rabid akk dog.

By the time Sipa called and alerted the local emergency response team, her husband had already fallen completely still and silent. When the response team came in, they called the time of death.


	9. Chapter 9

Tahiri woke up to find herself strapped onto a metal table in a medbay and realizing that she could no longer feel the Force. Before she could assess her surroundings any further, she felt a sharp sting at the side of her neck, and her world became woozy in an instant.

She looked in the direction that the sting came from and found 11-4D standing there with a hyposyringe in hand.

"Who are you?" the droid asked in a deep, base voice. It must be whatever he injected her with, she managed to think.

Instead of lying or keeping her mouth shut, she answered, "Jedi Master Tahiri Veila." _Truth serum_, she figured wearily.

"What are the names of the other two people with you?" 11-4D inquired.

"The human is Jedi Knight Bandy Geffer, and the Bothan is Jedi Knight Yaqeel Saav'etu."

"Why did the three of you trespass aboard my ship?"

"We were looking for Darth Plagueis," Tahiri answered. "We got a lead on him at Zonama Sekot, and you and your ship happened to fit a couple of the descriptions. So I decided that we would stowaway aboard your yacht and let you take us to your Master."

"How did you find out about my Master?"

"The version of Jacen Solo from an alternate reality informed the Jedi Order of Plagueis's existence during the Second Swarm War," Tahiri explained.

"When are you supposed to report in on your progress into Darth Plagueis's whereabouts and to whom?"

"How long has it been since you first knocked the Jedi Knights and I out?" Tahiri asked.

"No more than eight hours," 11-4D answered.

"Then I should be reporting in to Grand Master Kenth Hamner in about two hours," Tahiri answered.

"I thought Kenth Hamner was dead," 11-4D stated.

"That was this reality's Hamner," Tahiri informed him. "He's from a different reality, just like the Jacen Solo that sold your Master out."

"Thank you for your cooperation," 11-4D said.

He then unstrapped Tahiri from the medical table and helped her still-groggy form up to her feet. He led her out through the door of the medbay and down the corridor to the area that had the hidden smuggling compartment. 11-4D opened up the compartment, which contained the still-unconscious forms of Bandy and Yaqeel, and then shoved Tahiri down in with them.

He closed the deck plating over them and said in the audioreceptor-to-audioreceptor connection between him and Five-U, "Fry 'em."

Ford then placed his foot over the deck plating as the sounds of the screams of the three Jedi, combined with the background noise of electrocution, reverberated up into the corridor. The noises lasted for about ten seconds before they died out completely, and then Ford took his foot off the false plating to lift it up, revealing the charred corpses of Tahiri, Bandy, and Yaqeel. Their burned faces were permanently distorted into features of agony, signifying their last moments of their lives.

"Crispy," Ford remarked as he regarded the bodies. "Five-U, come down here now. You take the Knights, I'll take the Master. I'm sure the vornskrs will appreciate a hot meal for a change."

.

In her dream, the blank white background around her, and upon which she stood, symbolized the grief, emptiness, isolation, and loneliness that Allana was feeling these days. To her, even though she didn't die, her life had ended, as the Killiks took everything from her when she became their queen.

And when she had been freed from their hive mind, she couldn't feel anything but the depression to which she had sunk. That, she felt, was something that Dr. Gordrom could not save her from, but she ran with the emotions, for there was nothing else that mattered. Nothing mattered at all.

But just as Allana was about to allow the pristine sterility to completely engulf her entire being, a tall, grey figure appeared before her in the indeterminate distance. It appeared to glide toward her in the nothingness of her dream until it was close enough for her to identify as a male Muun.

Allana could sense that this Muun was powerful in the Force, like she was. But that was all that she could glean from his presence.

"I sense your pain, child," the Muun said in a kind, friendly tone. "I know about what you have lost, and that you feel that nothing good can be gained in your life now. But I can make all of that go away. That is, if you join me."

"Join you?" Allana asked. "Join you in what?"

"In bringing peace, not only to this galaxy, but to all of reality," the Muun answered. "And in turn, peace will be brought upon you, as well."

Allana regarded the strange Muun with trepidation. "Who are you?"

The Muun smiled pleasantly. "The Bringer of Tranquility. I seek only to end all chaos and misery wherever there is existence. Such as there is chaos and misery within your very being now, child."

All doubts about this figure's intentions vanished from Allana's mind as a sense of utter warmth, comfort, joy, and love filled her very soul to the core. And she knew that it was all coming from the Bringer of Tranquility.

It was at that point, in so short a period of time, that she knew that she could put the utmost trust into this stranger.

It was at that point that she woke up. All of that positivity that she felt vanished in an instant as reality came crashing down upon her, with the darkness of her bedroom surrounding her.

Allana was about to dismiss all of that as the fanciful effects of the dream world when she realized that a very real tinge of what she had felt during her slumber still resided in her soul. It was all the evidence she needed that the Bringer of Tranquility, and all that he promised, was indeed real.

But if she wanted more of what he brought, she would need to do everything he said.

Across the galaxy, on Coruscant, Darth Plagueis also woke up in his apartment with a satisfied smile.

_She will be a great asset_, he thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Sitting behind his desk, Hamner was working his way through the reports and general work on his datapad in his office when he was interrupted from his progress by the beeping of the commlink on his belt. He set the datapad down, took out the commlink, and activated it.

"Grand Master Hamner here."

"This is Jedi Master Tahiri Veila," the feminine voice on the other end responded, "reporting on the hunt for Darth Plagueis."

"What have you to report, Master Veila?" Hamner asked.

"Jedi Geffer, Jedi Saav'etu, and I are all currently on Myrkr," Tahiri answered. "We had heard rumors in our search so far that Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker was hiding out here. Considering that the alternate reality version of Jacen Solo told us that Plagueis was inhabiting Skywalker's body, we are currently looking for him here."

Hamner raised an eyebrow. Even on a formal channel like this, he doubted that Tahiri would refer to Ben by his last name since she had close familial ties with the Solos and the Skywalkers. But he set that thought aside as he said, "That's good news. Remember, I want Plagueis taken alive; while Solo may not be with us anymore, there's still a chance we can bring Jedi Skywalker back. How are you and the Knights holding up so far without using the Force, Master Veila?"

"It's difficult, but we're managing," Tahiri answered.

"That's also good to know," Hamner stated. "I hope hunting Jedi Skywalker isn't too great a burden for you, Master Veila." He had already given that statement to Tahiri before she and her accompanying two Knights left for Zonama Sekot. But because of that nagging detail at the back of his mind regarding how Tahiri referred to Ben by his last name, he had a feeling that something was off here. If Tahiri didn't respond in a subdued tone, even for a Master, then that thought may be on to something.

"It's no problem for me," Tahiri replied evenly. A little too evenly, as if she had no personal recognition with Ben at all. "Darth Plagueis must be stopped."

Hamner could agree with that, but again, considering Tahiri's almost apathetic reaction, he knew he was onto something after all. "Before I sign off," he said, "what did you learn from Zonama Sekot?" This would be the clincher; Tahiri informed him of her progress at Zonama before this report. If she didn't respond with confusion, then he knew he wasn't talking to the real Tahiri Veila.

"Oh, nothing, unfortunately," Tahiri answered. "We were sent off to pursue other avenues of questioning."

_Gotcha_, Hamner thought.

"Thank you for your report, Master Veila," he said as he quickly pressed a few buttons on his commlink to trace her call through a coded frequency that no imposter should be aware of; not unless they interrogated it from the real deal, of course. Seeing that the trace was successful - it was on Myrkr, indeed, so the imposter didn't lie there - he said, "Hamner out." He signed off, and immediately commed Master Lowbacca.

A moment later, the Wookiee Master's roar of response on the other end confirmed that he got the call.

"I have a mission for you..."

.

Ford dropped Tahiri Veila's commlink to the forest ground and stomped on it, leaving it a ruined mess alongside the remains of Bandy Geffer and Yaqeel Saav'etu's commlinks. The droid captain then turned back to his first mate, who had just disposed of the Jedi bodies off a cliff nearby.

"Let's get out of here," Ford said. "And you're washing the smuggling compartment of the burned Jedi residue and fabric on the way back to Coruscant."

"Yay," Five-U responded sarcastically.

The two of them turned and walked back to the Mindabaal. A few uneventful minutes later, they took off for the skies of Myrkr.

.

On Coruscant, former Galactic Alliance Chief of State Wynn Dorvan, seated in the flowform armchair in his apartment, sighed in disappointment as he read the news on his datapad of Senator Gerila Shesh's appointment as his successor.

_Of course she would win_, he thought, frustrated. _What else could go wrong now?_

As if to mirror his thoughts, there was a knock on his door.

Setting his datpad down on the living counter before him, he stood up and walked to the door. He looked through the peephole to see who it was.

On the other side of the door stood a well-suited dark-skinned male human with a briefcase in hand. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Dorvan opened the door.

"Wynn Dorvan?' the man asked.

"Yes? How may I help you?"

The well-suited man then reached his free hand into his suit and instantly produced a blaster pistol, shooting Dorvan in the chest with a stunbolt. The victim of the shot then fell back unconscious before his attacker stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Meanwhile, the camera that would have been shooting the event had been turned off.

.

The next day, newly-appointed Alliance Chief of State Gerila Shesh sipped her tea contentedly as she read the news of her predecessor Wynn Dorvan's untimely death on her datapad behind her office desk. The report stated that Dorvan was found dead in his apartment's bedroom with a slew of empty prescription drug bottles around him. The over-the-counter pharmacist who gave Dorvan the drugs informed the news that the former Chief of State had been suffering depression since being outed from his prestigious position, a statement confirmed by a psychiatrist that Dorvan had been seeing ever since the vote of no confidence came in.

Of course, given that both the pharmacist and psychiatrist were really secret governmental actors sent to do Shesh's bidding was something that was never even suspected by the mainstream media.

Now, Shesh thought happily, with Dorvan dead, any political opposition against her would have no real gravitas as she would begin her strike against the Jedi Order.


	11. Chapter 11

The center of the Armand Isard Correctional Facility's roof exploded, leaving a smoking hole thirty meters in diameter that allowed a dozen rappel lines to cling to on its circular edge by their grappling ends. The masked mercenaries on the other ends of the rappel lines, which had been shot out by their ascension guns, rocketed up to the roof and they, along with their escaped convict, headed for the transport shuttle at one ledge of the roof.

Once the mercenaries and their charge were close enough, the side of the shuttle opened up to reveal an empty passenger cabin suited for dispatching a whole slew of commandos onto a battlefield. All thirteen of the prison escapees plunged into the opening of the shuttle, which then closed once they were all aboard, and it zoomed off into the sky of Coruscant, activating its cloak to make sure that it would lose all pursuit.

Inside the shuttle, the escaped convict, a pale-skinned female humanoid, looked around to the masked mercenaries around her.

"Thanks for the breakout, guys," Aurra Sing said. "But may I ask where we're going?"

"Your talents are in need, Miss Sing," the mercenary across from her said. "And the Hapes Consortium is just where you'll put them to use."

"Didn't have a good experience in the Consortium," Sing replied, crossing her arms across her chest in scrutiny. "Who's the client and what's the job?"

"You'll know when we get there," the mercenary replied evenly.

Sing sighed. She knew she should be grateful to these mercenaries for busting her out of prison, but considering the last time she took a job in the Transitory Mists, she ended up in a cell aboard the _Anakin Solo_ so she could be incarcerated back on Coruscant.

She only hoped that, whatever it was, even if it was going after the Hapan Chume'da again, wouldn't land her back behind a locked durasteel door.

.

Half a dozen vornskrs were feeding on the burned corpses of three unidentifiable figures - two vornskrs for each body - before one vornskr from each corpse received a blaster bolt in the head, dropping their lifeless bodies to the ground. The remaining trio of vornskrs perked up when they noticed their dead mates, but before they could flee, they were also all given a blaster bolt each in the head.

Seeing that the predators were neutralized, the three Jedi who killed them, blasters still in hand, stepped out of the nearby bushes on Master Lowbacca's lead and walked up to the corpses to regard their burned and half-eaten brethren. The three of them - Lowbacca and Jedi Knights Radd Minker and Turi Altamik - stood there silently for a while out of respect for their fallen.

Lowbacca turned and gave a brief roar. Three human males then appeared from behind some trees before the Wookiee bearing hovering medical tables. The men carefully picked up the mutilated Jedi bodies and placed them on the tables. Then, at Lowbacca's nod, they all began to hurry back to the shuttle provided by Booster Terrik for just this purpose.

.

Tenel Ka, seated in her throne, allowed the representative from Terephon prattle on about taxation problems on that world for several minutes before the doors to the throne room were swung open, interrupting the representative.

"Your Majesty," a male news bearer announced with a closed commlink in hand, "Galactic Alliance Chief of State Gerila Shesh wishes to speak to you."

Tenel Ka thinned her lips in hesitation. "Come here and activate the comm."

The bearer nodded and rushed over to kneel before his Queen Mother and activate the commlink, allowing the features of Chief of State Shesh to come to life in a blue hue.

"Queen Mother Djo," Shesh said, "I have requested to speak to you, as I want to let you know that I will be arriving at Hapes in two days with a Galactic Alliance fleet."

"What for, Chief Shesh?" Tenel Ka inquired.

"To convince you to release your hold on the Jedi Order," Shesh answered.

"And why would I want to do that?" Tenel Ka asked.

Shesh grinned. "We'll save this discussion for when we actually meet in person, Your Majesty. But for now, just know to expect a Galactic Alliance fleet hanging over Hapes in a couple days." The Chief of State then ended the communication between them.

.

"Five-U, get over to the cockpit right now!" Ford said in the audioreceptor-to-audioreceptor communication between them.

Dropping the powerbrush into the bucket of warm, soapy water on the corridor deck, Five-U pushed himself out of the smuggling compartment, which still had residue of the burned Jedi corpses, and hurried over to the Mindabaal's cockpit.

When he arrived, Ford showed him an image on his datapad, which was a "Wanted: Dead or Alive" dual holopic of the two droids, each of them listed as being worth twenty-five thousand credits. It was a public image on the HoloNet, as Five-U could see from some small lettering at the bottom right-hand corner of the image, and it said that the holopic was owned by Captain Booster Terrik of the _Errant Venture_.

"Well, there goes a major source of income," Five-U said sardonically.

"It's more than that now, you idiot!" Ford exclaimed. "Now that we're wanted fugitives, I somehow doubt the Jedi and their allies, like Terrik, are going to leave it at that! They're going to go after my finances, which could not only ruin Lord Plagueis's work on taking over all of reality, but we won't have a cent to bail ourselves out!"

"So what the hell are we going to do then?" Five-U asked, mildly panicked. "We can't go back to Coruscant now, the authorities will be all over us!"

"We've got to hide somewhere before we can contact the Master," Ford agreed. "But where can we go?"

They both thought for a moment before Five-U exclaimed with, "Wait! I've got an idea!"


	12. Chapter 12

"Laji, did you manage to siphon away all of Captain Ford's accounts?" Booster asked his male Givin slicer, whose attention was focused squarely on the computer terminal before him in the _Errant Venture_'s computer lab.

Laji looked away from the screen and regarded Booster. "All of his accounts are now empty, though they have only comprised about a third of his finances. Unfortunately, he has his wealth in other areas of which I'm unable to access."

"We'll track those other resources down and make sure Captain Ford loses them," Booster assured the Givin. "For now, though, I'd say this, and comming the authorities on Coruscant in stopping his Sith Master, is a pretty good start against him."

"How do you know where his Master is?" Laji asked.

"Did a little research," Booster answered. "Ford had secured an abandoned warehouse as one of his assets. Just a hunch, but I think it's safe to say his Master was up to something there."

.

The door to the warehouse opened up, allowing the squad of Coruscant Security Force members to run in, blaster rifles drawn, toward the Muun and the Nautolan working at the other end of the building on some sort of giant, circular durasteel contraption that vaguely resembled a gate. The member at the back of the group of cops was carrying a small cage that was covered by some kind of cloth.

"Hold it right there, both of you!" the male human leader of the squad shouted once he and his followers stopped behind him when he was meters from the aliens. "Or we will shoot!"

While the Nautolan had turned from the device in fear and had already raised his hands above his head, the Muun simply grinned as if in amusement.

"Go ahead," the latter alien said. "I dare you."

"We got an ysalamari here, Sith," the leader informed him. "You can't rely on the Force here."

"Can't I?" Plagueis retorted.

A shiny, cylindrical object almost spontaneously appeared in his hand, and then it produced a gleaming red blade of light.

Practically at the same time, all of the cops before Darth Plagueis the Immortal opened fire on him, but he managed to deflect them all back at their sources, killing them instantly. Those who survived - that is, those near the back of the group who didn't shoot - stared down at the bodies of their comrades in shock.

Before they could look back up at the being who killed them, he had already jumped in among them and was waving his glowing blade around, maiming and killing all of the cops quickly and efficiently.

When he was down to the last cop - a frightened human female whose blaster shook in her grip - he simply smirked, deactivated his lightsaber, replaced in on his belt, and held out his arms as if for a hug.

"I'll give you a free shot," he said.

The officer looked back at him in askance, but wordlessly fired a lethal bolt in his direction.

Yet, when he took it directly in the chest, it didn't even faze him, let alone leave a scorching mark in his torso. That left the cop wallowing in so much fear that she dropped her rifle to the floor, and, with a knowing smirk, Plagueis reached out with the Force to grab the officer by the throat.

She clawed at her neck desperately for breath before she was even lifted up and off the floor. A few seconds later, Plagueis flicked his wrist and her neck broke, killing her instantly. The Sith Lord allowed her body to collapse to the floor in a mangled heap with her fellow deceased officers.

He then looked to the dropped cage, whose cloth had fallen off to reveal the trapped ysalamari there. Plagueis lifted up his hand again and sent a burst of electricity that killed the creature in an instant.

With all of the lightsaber fodder - that was what Plagueis thought of these cops, anyway - and the ysalamari now gone, he turned back to the cowering Dr. Ruk, who had behind the machine that, once it worked, would bring him to other realities.

"We must leave," Plagueis informed him quaintly. "I don't know how they found out about all of this, but with the police now aware of our activitieshere, we must go on the run."_  
_

Ruk poked his head out behind the durasteel gate and nodded. He rushed towards Plagueis and joined the Sith Lord as they began leaving the warehouse.

"I thought you can't use the Force whenever you're around ysalamari," Ruk pointed out when they were halfway to the exit.

"Immortality can defy restrictions placed on the Force," Plagueis stated with smugness.

.

"Five-U, why didn't you tell me you made us duplicate bodies?" the protocol droid asked his astromech counterpart.

Somewhere in The Works, a downtrodden, slummy area on Coruscant, a silvery protocol droid and a blood red astromech droid were hiding out in one of the lower levels of a rundown, otherwise uninhabited apartment complex next to a computer whose length and width covered an entire wall of the room in which they were now in. Both droids were wired to that computer; the protocol droid by his chest socket, and the astro droid by his wall socket arm.

"Why didn't you tell me you put an explosive in my body without telling me, Captain?" the astro droid retorted.

"You're never going to live that down, are you?" Ford replied. "Look, I didn't want you to overreact and get the wrong idea, is all."

"That's some pretty crappy reasoning," Five-U replied. "You could have just told me it was a fail-safe to keep your Master safe, or something like that."

Ford actually managed a sigh of frustration. "Well, in either case, since I told you why I kept that whole bomb thing from you, do you mind telling me why you kept this duplicate bodies thing away from me?"

"You never brought it up," Five-U answered simply. "I had this thing installed for me years ago before I even became your first, and only, mate. I'd take the astro droid, and whoever I became friends with would become the protocol droid."

"So what would have happened if you had more than one friend and something bad happened?" Ford asked. "We'd have been short on extra bodies, you know."

"I considered that,"" Five-U explained. "But since I was too lazy and preoccupied with porn to find more than two droid bodies in Coruscant's underworld after the Galactic Alliance took it back from the Yuuzhan Vong, I figured that if I did have more than one friend, they'd all get to share the same body."

"How would that work?" Ford asked. "Wouldn't that just fry this body's functions?"

"Probably," Five-U answered nonchalantly. "Or maybe it could have handled the new personalities, albeit imperfectly. And by that, I mean you probably would have all been fighting for dominion over the body until we found some more dead droids to get at least some of you living in."

"A protocol droid with multiple personality identity disorder?" Ford inquired. "And to think I've heard it all when I learned you could masturbate in your previous body."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Five-U replied. "Now I'll have to live most likely the rest of my existence in this droid body unable to get off."

"What a shame," Ford replied sarcastically.


	13. Chapter 13

The transport shuttle that carried the corpses of Tahiri Veila, Bandy Geffer, and Yaqeel Saav'etu off of Myrkr dropped out of hyperspace alongside the trio of StealthXs piloted by Lowbacca, Radd Minker, and Turi Altamik.

Before them floated the Mindabaal Custom yacht that had cast a distress beacon a few hours earlier; apparently, neither Captain Ford nor his first mate were aware that they had a bounty on their heads yet, and it was that beacon that served as a clue for Lowbacca and the others to track them down.

The Wookiee Master activated his StealthX's comm and spoke into the frequency that broadcasted to the Mindabaal, "[Attention, Captain Ford, you are under arrest by the Jedi Order for the murder of three of our own. Prepare to be boarded."

The shuttle then flew in toward the Mindabaal and docked alongside it for their airlocks to connect. But as soon as they connected, the yacht exploded, taking out the shuttle along side it.

As for the StealthXs, they flew backward relative from the explosion out of their pilots' control. Once they corrected their flight, they all leveled out to view the aftermath; nothing but floating debris.

.

Anxiously sitting behind his office desk, Hamner, upon hearing his commlink beep, immediately took it out of his belt and activated it. "Grand Master Hamner here."

"Hamner, it's Captain Terrik," Booster's voice replied. "I got bad news. A squad of cops raided that warehouse that Captain Ford had interest in, and they were all found dead, most of them with identifiable lightsaber wounds. The ysalamari they brought with them also died, apparently from electrocution. There's no sign of Dr. Ruk or this Sith Lord."

Hamner's nostrils flared. "He must have received help somehow. I hope the CSF is looking for him right now."

"The chief told me they are," Booster replied. "He also told me that this Sith Lord apparently isn't inhabiting Ben Skywalker's body; he's a male Muun now."

"How does he know that?" Hamner asked.

"One of the massacred cops managed to comm him and tell him that the Sith they were looking for was a male Muun, not Skywalker," Booster answered.

Hamner sighed. "So much for trying to save Skywalker. Plagueis must have rid himself of the body somehow. At least we now know who we're looking for. What about the search for the droids who killed Master Veila and her accompanying Knights?"

"Master Lowbacca commed me to tell me that they located Captain Ford's Mindabaal Custom yacht, but when the transport shuttle crew that went with him tried to board it, the yacht blew up, taking the crew and the entire shuttle with them," Booster informed him in a solemn tone.

"Looks like Captain Ford took the coward's way out in avoiding justice for his crimes," Hamner remarked. "Anyway, other than bodies, what else was found in that warehouse, Captain?"

"Some kind of durasteel gate device, according to a description from the chief," Booster informed him. "When some of the cops touched it, they suddenly turned to ash."

"Must be some kind of Sith sorcery that Plagueis placed upon it," Hamner said. "Whatever it is, it can't be good. Keep in touch with the CSF and let me know when and if they manage to capture or otherwise neutralize Plagueis, Captain Terrik."

"Will do, Master Hamner," Booster said before Hamner signed off.

.

Hiding inside a rundown building in the underworld ruins of Coruscant, Plagueis and Dr. Ruk were sleeping in different beds across from each other in the sparse, empty bedroom that they were in. After a few hours of sleep, they were instantly roused from their rest by the beeping of Plagueis's comm in his belt. The Sith Lord took it out and activated it.

"Lord Plagueis, are you there?" Ford's voice came.

"I read you, Captain," Plagueis responded. "Where are you?"

"Five-U and I are somewhere in The Works here on Coruscant," Ford answered. "We have bad news."

"So do I," Plagueis interjected. "You go first, though."

"Before Five-U and I completed our latest run on the _Errant Venture_," Ford began, "I discovered that three Jedi had stowed away aboard the Mindabaal. I knocked them unconscious and brought them to Myrkr so I could interrogate them. One of them told me that they'd been on your track, so we killed them and left their bodies there.

"On our way back here, however, I discovered that were on Captain Booster Terrik of the _Venture_'s Most Wanted List. I thought I managed to fool the Jedi Grand Master over the comm frequency between us that his Jedi were fine, since I masqueraded as the leading Jedi Master we killed, but he must have seen through the facade and sent another task force to Myrkr to discover the bodies there. No doubt they managed to determine that we were responsible.

"Fortunately, Five-U and I managed to transfer our consciousnesses into different droid bodies here, but I've discovered that Captain Terrik has somehow seized about a third of my fortune. I don't think the rest of it will be far behind."

"Well, that explains what happened to me," Plagueis said. "Dr. Ruk and I had been raided by CSF officers recently. We got away, though, and the portal device into different realities is protected by the power that I had impressed on it; no one but Dr. Ruk or I will be able to interact with it without turning into ash, not even Jedi.

"But anyway, perhaps, however Captain Terrik managed to rob you of some of your funds, he was also able to determine that I had been hiding here based on circumstantial evidence."

"This is bad," Ford stated. "I'm so sorry about this, Lord Plagueis. I hope you can forgive me."

"Calm down, Ford," Plagueis replied. "You did good in spite of all of this."

"I did?" Ford asked.

"Yes. This is only a minor setback anyway. We're just going to have to look to different parties if we're to get continuous funding for the portal device."

"Well, what do you suggest we do then, Master?" Ford asked.

"Well, we need to rendezvous first of all before we can come up with a solid plan," Plagueis said. "Meet Dr. Ruk and I inside the top level of the LiMerge Power building tomorrow."

"Understood."

"Plagueis out."


	14. Chapter 14

"Announcing the Chief of State of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, Gerila Shesh, and her entourage."

The female Hapan servant who made that announcement ritualistically stepped out of the way and allowed Chief Shesh, her six sycophants, and her armed duo of bodyguards to enter the Queen Mother's throne room. The guards remained standing as Shesh took her seat at the end of the table, set up for this specific purpose, that opposed Tenel Ka's position while the sycophants sat at either side, three to Shesh's left and three to her right.

"You may speak, Chief Shesh," Tenel Ka reluctantly allowed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Shesh began with a nod. "As I had mentioned to you two days ago, I am here to convince you to release your hold of the Jedi Order and allow the Galactic Alliance to take all of its members into custody. I argue that this must be so given their violations into Alliance space thus far. Hence, I humbly implore you to give up this criminal organization."

Tenel Ka regarded Shesh silently for a moment before replying. "From what I understand of these violations into your space, they were for the intended purposes of stopping the recent Killik crisis, were they not?"

"The first of which had failed, mind you," Shesh pointed out. "According to evidence discovered by the Galactic Alliance Intelligence Service, Jedi Master Jaina Solo Fel, along with her husband, former Imperial Head of State Jagged Fel, both died some time after they escaped Coruscant, having accomplished nothing from their time on the capital world of the Alliance."

"I fail to see how the factor of their death and failure has any impact on their intentions," Tenel Ka stated.

"They have an impact in retrospect, Your Majesty," Shesh replied evenly. "Especially since this recent Killik crisis actually reached the heart of this very galaxy."

"Which was stopped by the Jedi Order," Tenel Ka pointed out.

"Again, their second violation into Alliance space," Shesh retorted. Before Tenel Ka could come up with an argument, the Chief of State continued with, "Or rather, their third violation if it weren't for this piece of evidence." She then took out a commlink from her pocket, set it out on the tabletop, pressed a button, and a blue holopic of an attractive- female human appeared looking like she was in the heat of battle.

"This is Jesmin Tainer, daughter of New Republic heroes Kell Tainer and Tyria Sarkin," Shesh explained. "This holopic was taken approximately nine months ago by a member in the Intelligence Service, who has since been terminated from his employment under my run of this government. The reason that that member has been fired was because he deliberately withheld this pic from the higher branches of the government due to his fondness of New Republic and Galactic Alliance starfighter pilots, such as Tainer and Sarkin.

"For those not in the know, Jesmin Tainer is a Jedi Knight who was also secretly serving the Galactic Alliance following the Order's exile from Coruscant. She was an agent within the reestablished Wraith Squadron, which was responsible for placing corrupt Alliance General Stavin Thaal into prison. Again, like the Intelligence member who withheld this holopic, she, too, was fired from Wraith Squadron under my command and has since been put to justice." Shesh then turned the comm off and replaced it in her pocket.

"I believe that you may have your information mishandled, and that you may have fired, and incarcerated, the wrong people, Chief Shesh," Tenel Ka said. "I had been informed by Grand Master Luke Skywalker himself, before he died, that Jesmin Tainer was never actually part of the Jedi Order, thus making your claim that her presence in the Alliance serves as a point as a violation of the Order's ban on your space is completely invalid."

"Is that so?" Shesh asked with an insincere tone. "Well, even if that were true, you still cannot deny the fact of the two real violations, Your Majesty."

"No, I cannot," Tenel Ka agreed in a neutral tone, ignoring Shesh's implication that she may have been lying about Jesmin Tainer being a Jedi.

Shesh smirked. "And in either case, we aren't doing a three-strikes rule, Your Highness. So, again, I ask you to release your authority on the Jedi Order and hand them over to us."

"What if I simply say no?" the Queen Mother challenged.

Shesh frowned. "Then you risk a full-scale war with the entirety of the Galactic Alliance. Is that something you want to start over a bunch of criminals?"

"Is that really something you yourself want to start, Chief Shesh, over a bunch of criminals?" Tenel Ka echoed. "While I may be hesitant to announce a war compared to you, you seem to forget that your military is still recovering, not only from the losses that you have suffered against the Killiks over Coruscant, but also from the Second Galactic Civil War and the Jedi's war against the Sith a year ago.

"And in either case," Tenel Ka continued, subtly mocking Shesh with her own words, "you are out of your jurisdiction. So I humbly implore to get out of the Transitory Mists lest you start a war against one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy with a still-recovering army that is not really ready to enter another conflict."

Shesh sighed. "I am surprised that you would defend these criminals, Your Highness, given the fact that it was because of them that your daughter was part of the Thuruht hive mind."

Tenel Ka grabbed the arms of her throne, stifling her anger and preventing herself from outright lashing out against the Galactic Alliance Chief of State. Instead, she calmly replied, "My daughter has since been removed from the Order because of that reason, Chief Shesh. No other animosity, other than the unsanctioned prejudice against the Jedi in the Consortium, exists between them and the monarchy."

Shesh's nostrils flared in impatience before she stood up from her seat. Her sycophants followed suit.

"Fair enough. But mark my words, Your Majesty, you will rue this day," the Chief of State growled.

"Is that a threat, Chief Shesh?" Tenel Ka asked in her own intonation.

Shesh sighed. "No, it isn't."

She was obviously lying through her teeth, but considering her position as one of the most powerful women in the galaxy, and not wanting to risk a war anyway, Tenel Ka would let her go... for now.

"Then I hope you have a safe journey back to Coruscant, Chief," Tenel Ka lied with a fake smile plastered on her lovely face.

But just as Shesh was leaving, Tenel Ka's danger sense tingled. It told her that it was radiating from Allana's bedroom.

Without a second thought, the Queen Mother sprung from her throne and rushed out the door, past Shesh and her entourage, toward her daughter's room.


	15. Chapter 15

She was getting impatient. The loneliness and isolation, not only in the physical world, but within her soul, was only haunting her more and more every second that came to pass.

Where was the Bringer of Tranquility? Why he didn't appear in her dreams like he did days ago? Something was wrong. Something in the Force. Allana could feel it. She could feel it with her very being.

She needed the peace. She needed the harmony. She needed the very stability those feelings offered.

How much longer could she possibly live like this before she died of this aching agony?

There was a knock on her door. The voice of the male nurse came through. "Chume'da, someone is here to visit you."

"Is it Dr. Gordrom?" Allana asked.

"No, it's another doctor," the nurse replied. "Would you like to see her?"

"Where's Dr. Gordrom?" Allana asked.

"Um... I'm afraid to report that he is dead, Chume'da."

"Dead?! Dead! Why wasn't I told about this?!"

Even though she didn't allow it, the door opened anyway, revealing the nurse and a non-too-attractive female carrying a black briefcase, who was dressed like a professional to rival Gordrom. "I'm sorry, Chume'da, we... we didn't want to upset you."

"You've just upset me by not telling me this sooner," Allana growled.

Instead of replying, the nurse regarded Allana with a mild sense of fear before chancing a look at the psychiatrist at his side. "Uh, Dr. Gins, would you like to come back later?"

"No, no, I think this girl needs me now more than ever," Gins said.

"If you think so," the nurse said as Gins entered the room. The door shut behind her almost instantly.

The two of them stared down each other for a while before Allana said, "You're not a real doctor."

Gins smiled maliciously as she began wiping her face, smearing away the makeup that covered up her extremely pale features. "How astute you are, child." She then opened up the briefcase, which she dropped to the floor while simultaneously grabbing two lightsaber hilts out of it. Red blades activated. "I don't suppose you remember me?"

"Aurra Sing," Allana echoed.

"Don't try to scream," Sing said. "This'll only make this harder." She then leaped for the Chume'da.

But just when her blades were a meter from decapitating Allana in a crosscut, the girl reached out her left hand and stopped Sing in midair. The pale assassin looked down at herself before regarding Allana with confusion.

Allana, meanwhile, regarded her with anger and hatred. "I'll give you one chance to tell me who sent you before I squeeze the information out of you."

In spite herself, Sing couldn't help but smile in amusement.

"Who sent you?" the Chume'da asked.

"Lord Nyax," Sing replied sarcastically. "He says you've been a very naughty girl lately."

"Don't I know it," Allana replied sardonically.

Then she squeezed her outstretched hand, causing Sing to seize up in pain. The agony of feeling the center of her body crushing in upon itself was one of the worst things she had ever felt in her long life.

"Who sent you?" Allana repeated. She eased up slightly on her grip to allow Sing to answer.

"I don't know," Sing answered seriously.

"Not good enough." She tightened her grasp again before easing it up once more. "Who sent you."

"I swear I don't know."

Again, her grasp tightened for a moment before easing up for a third time when she saw Sing trying to talk. "I only know that I've been paid by an influential Hapan noble who wanted her anonymity kept."

"Well, that narrows it down," Allana replied sarcastically. Her eyes then narrowed as they focused for Sing's head.

When the pressure in her chest eased up, Sing thought that she might live through this for about two seconds before her mind was assaulted by an intense, crushing pressure. She screamed in agony as the Chume'da invaded her mind.

Five seconds later, Allana discovered what Sing had been hiding from her.

_"Kill the Chume'da," the blonde woman said to Sing as they sat across from each other in an opulently-decorated room. A dining table was the only thing that separated them. "From there, I don't care how you do it, I don't care if you have to kill the Queen Mother herself and plunge the entire Consortium into chaos and anarchy the likes of which it will never recover from, I want that little witch dead for what she did to my husband."_

_"Understood, Mrs. Gordrom," Sing replied as she pocketed the credit chip that was worth a million in currency._

Once the vision was over, Allana felt Sing's presence before her wink out as the assassin fell still in her grip, still floating in the air. She allowed the dead woman to collapse to the floor in a heap.

It was then that the door to her room opened, and in rushed Allana's concerned mother. She stopped right at the entrance when she looked on in horror at Sing's corpse and her still daughter standing over her, regarding the cadaver with an expression that was as hauntingly dead as the assassin before her.

"Allana..." Tenel Ka whispered with utter shock.

Upon hearing her own name from her mother, Allana looked up to her, and she became sad, scared little girl again, just as she was when she came back from the Killiks. She spared several more glances between Tenel Ka and Sing before stepping past the latter to embrace the former, collapsing into her arms as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry, Mommy," Allana cried against the fabric of her mother's dress. "I... I... I didn't mean to do it. It just happened." She spoke no more after that; she just cried like the vulnerable creature that she was.

And Tenel Ka did nothing more but return her daughter's embrace, like any good mother would.


	16. Chapter 16

Taking the still-working turbolift to the top level of the LiMerge Power building, Plagueis and Dr. Ruk waited as the elevator shipped them up to meet Ford and Five-U.

"Say, something just occurred to me," Ruk said. "If you're immortal, why do you need to sleep?"

"I don't _need_ to sleep," Plagueis said. "I just like sleeping. It's a privilege I denied myself in my final years, and one that I regretted neglecting, even when I did succumb to it, it led to my death."

"So even though you don't need to sleep, or eat, or drink, or even to breathe oxygen, you still do these things... because you can?" Ruk inquired.

"Yes, why not?" Plagueis retorted. "Also, it allows me to commence on another project; one that I'll be coming back to after we sort this whole thing out."

"What?" Ruk asked.

Plagueis smiled. "You'll find out in the long run, Doctor."

Their conversation came to an end as the turbolift stopped and the door before them opened up. They stepped through and Ruk followed Plagueis as the latter led the former to the room across from them. There, Ford and Five-U waited in the empty room.

"Are you well, Lord Plagueis?" Ford asked.

"I'm immortal, I'm always well, Captain," Plagueis said. "But aside from that, given that Dr. Ruk and I now are fugitives from the law... it could be worse." He shrugged almost nonchalantly.

"You're taking all this pretty well so far, I noticed," Ruk pointed out.

"What use is there to get angry?" Plagueis asked.

"Good point," Ruk replied.

"Anyway, enough chitchat," Plagueis said. "We need to come up with a plan to leave Coruscant for the time being."

"If I may," Five-U interjected, "even if we did find a way to get past all the authorities and the space defense in orbit, where do you plan on taking all of us, Lord Plagueis?"

"For your information, Five-U," Plagueis said evenly, "I was thinking Ziost. We could use some help from the Sith Meditation Sphere."

"The what?" Ruk asked.

"It's a long story," Five-U told the scientist. "We'll tell you later." He turned his attention back to Plagueis. "And what, pray tell, do you think the Sphere could help us out with?"

"Five-U, stop questioning the Master," Ford urged.

"No, Ford, Five-U is right to question me so far," Plagueis waved off. "We're in a perilous situation right now, and I think we all have the right to know what we have to do if we are to continue with our plans. So, to answer your latest query, Five-U, I believe that the Sphere could possibly help us find a way to return to Coruscant with new identities and continue with our research."

"How?" Five-U asked.

"I'm not sure," Plagueis said. "But so far, we have no other options. Unless you have any ideas yourself."

"Unfortunately, I don't, but Ford and I don't have to come with you," Five-U stated.

"Excuse me?" Plagueis intoned.

"Five-U," Ford growled.

"We're in completely new bodies," Five-U pressed on. "As far as anyone but the four of us are concerned, Captain Ford and Five-U-Em-Four-En are dead. It'd be unnecessary for us to come with you, Lord Plagueis."

"Fair enough," Plagueis said, his tone calming as he understood the droid's point. "Lightens the load, anyway. So now onto the business of actually getting out of here, at least for Dr. Ruk and I. Any suggestions?"

"I actually have one this time," Five-U said.

"Share it then," Plagueis replied without preamble.

.

Harran Pussa, pink-skinned Twi'lek captain of the freighter shuttle _Teaser_, looked curiously on the readouts of her ship when it suddenly pulled out of its climb for Coruscant's skies and then began descending for The Works below - and all against her desperate efforts to fight whatever was pulling her freighter down.

When the _Teaser_ touched down on top of the abandoned building that Harran recognized as the LiMerge Power building, all of the controls to her ship just shut down instantly. Before she could even react to any of these impossibilities, she heard metallic creaking and groaning coming from the rear of the freighter. Standing up from the pilot seat, she left the cockpit to figure out what was going on. A minute later, Harran reached the back of the ship to find that her boarding ramp was down.

It was then that she felt a presence seeming to manifest behind her.

Spinning around, she produced her holdout blaster from her pouch, but the Muun before her just knocked it out of her hand before she could squeeze out a shot, and promptly used the same hand to punch her in the face. Harran collapsed to the deck of the corridor, and the Muun was then on top of her, pressing his other hand against her forehead. The Twi'lek was helpless as she felt some kind of pressure enter through her skull.

When Plagueis took his hand off of her, Harran rose up as his servant.

.

The only reason, Ruk thought, that he was doing this was because of the benefits of discovering other realities. Otherwise, he'd just cut and run at this point, even if it cost him his job, or even his life, because being with this immortal Sith Lord who killed so many cops by himself would have made Ruk think differently.

Yet he still reluctantly stepped out of the turbolift that carried him up to the LiMerge building's roof and saw Plagueis walk down from the freighter shuttle's open ramp to wave him over.

"Let's go," Plagueis called before stepping back into the ship.

Ruk then followed behind, and once he was aboard, the ramp closed back up. Not much longer after that, the _Teaser_ soared back for Coruscant's skies.

"I can't believe that simple plan actually worked," Ruk remarked as he and Plagueis relaxed in a couple seats in the ship's passenger cabin. "You using your Force powers to pull this vessel down to ferry us off. A child could have come up with that!"

"And you're complaining?" Plagueis remarked.

Ruk shrugged. "Well, it got us off with no one being the wiser. Say, why didn't you come with that idea before that droid did?"

Plagueis cocked his head at one side in thought. "Perhaps I spent so much of my life, before I died and after I came back, of course, organizing and orchestrating so many complex plots and agendas that I forgot that the simplest ways can sometimes be the most effective."


	17. Chapter 17

It had been over a day since Sing had been dispatched to Hapes to eliminate the Chume'da, and still, she hadn't commed Sipa to report on whether or not the mission had been a success or failure. Undoubtedly was the latter the case, and Sing was most likely dead, and had client confidentiality tortured out of her when she was interrogated. That meant that Sipa had to resort to Plan B; if she couldn't get back at the little brat that murdered her husband, she might as well get back at her mother.

Having prepared for this on the off-chance that Sing would have failed, Sipa had hired a scientist to concoct a tablet that, once ingested, would secrete a poisonous enzyme on her saliva that would last for an entire week. By the end of that week, the host would die. However, whoever else who would be unlucky enough to get into contact with the tainted saliva would die within less than two minutes. That was the incentive for Sipa to take that tablet; she would do anything for her husband's memory.

Sipa had already ingested that tablet an hour before two members from the Hapan Interplanetary Police arrested her and, two days later, brought her into the court of the Queen Mother at sundown, shoving her to her knees before Tenel Ka.

The leader of the entire Consortium stood up from her throne and walked down the raised dais toward Sipa. She stopped a meter away and looked down upon her with an expression of utter disgust. "Aurra Sing told us that you had hired her to assassinate my daughter," Tenel Ka said. "I had since ordered her to execution. Before I order your own death as well, I must ask what you have to say for yourself, Sipa Gordrom?"

Without hesitation, Sipa spat in her face. "That was for my husband," she sneered.

For her trouble, the female guard at her left smacked her across her face as a chamberlain rushed to Tenel Ka's aid with a cloth to wipe the spittle off her features. "Thank you, Lida," she said to the chamberlain before looking to the guards. "Send her down to the dungeon and make sure she gets her lethal injection."

The guards then forcefully hoisted Sipa up to her feet, turned her around, and began walking her out of the throne room.

_Any minute now_, Sipa thought as she exited the room. Any minute, she would avenge her husband's loss by taking away the one person left dear to Valan's murderess.

Exactly one minute later, just as Tenel Ka reached the last step up to her throne, she suddenly swooned and collapsed prone to the floor. Lida the chamberlain rolled her onto her back and watched helplessly as the Queen Mother wheezed and her eyes fluttered.

Tenel Ka didn't say a word before she simply died right there.

.

Allana woke up suddenly and quickly sat up, eyes widened and tearing up, and her mouth hanging open in complete and total shock.

"NOOOOOOO!" she screamed from the top of her lungs, her cry reverberating through the entire Royal Palace.

She had felt it. She had felt her mother's demise. Now there was nothing more from her here. There was absolutely nothing to stop her from unleashing her true power upon everything around her.

It only took a second. A single, solitary second. And in that incredibly short time span, the entire Palace erupted into so much debris and rubble, its remnants collapsing all around the opulent gardens that had ringed it, damaging and destroying all the beauty that the exterior had represented. Doubtless to say, everyone who had been in the Palace at the time had all died just as the Hapan sun completely disappeared over the horizon.

Everyone... except for the source of the destruction.

.

Plagueis cocked his head in excitement as he felt a dramatic sensation ripple throughout his entire being. Something had happened in the Force. Something to his advantage. And in an instant, he knew it came from the powerful ten-year-old human girl to whom he had been masquerading as the Bringer of Tranquility. At that, he couldn't help but smile in glee.

"What are you so happy about?" Dr. Ruk asked from his own seat in the passenger cabin of the _Teaser_.

Plagueis looked at the scientist. "My side project, Doctor. She's blooming in her potential."

.

Dozens of Hapan vehicles rushed to the scene of the destroyed Royal Palace and stopped right at the ruins. All of the members of the response team poured out from each vehicle to assess and record the damage as well as search for any survivors.

Before any of them had a chance of removing a block of debris out of the way in their effort to clear the wreckage, a nearby rubble pile had been blasted away, and in its wake was the Chume'da, who floated up into the air until she was bare meters over the ground. With a furious expression etched into her face, she looked around herself to glare back at the stunned response team before she turned and used the Force to lift whole pieces of debris out of the way.

The pieces of wreckage had been carelessly flung away by the Chume'da and many response team members became inadvertent targets of the unintentional projectiles. While several of them managed to make it out of the way in time, some had been hit by debris full force.

A quarter of a minute later, debris stopped flying as the body of the Queen Mother was revealed. Slowly, and solemnly, the Chume'da floated down to her mother's body and knelt next to it before grabbing her in a hug. The Chume'da stayed that way for a while, completely unmoving, not even attempting to cry, until she raised her head and looked about her surroundings again.

"None of you will follow us," she loudly announced.

Every member of the response team, including the ones who had been accidentally harmed by the flung debris, fell into a collective trance-like state and nodded at the Chume'da.

She then lifted the Queen Mother's body into her arms before floating back up into the air again, silently gliding off into the night.


	18. Chapter 18

Just as she was isolated from Hapan civilization in her bedroom, now Allana was isolated from Hapan civilization in a nearby forest, with nothing but the cold corpse of her mother as her companion. She simply sat at the side of Tenel Ka's body, completely still and motionless, never taking her eyes off of her. Only the sound of her faint breathing and the natural noises of the wild permeated the utter silence between the orphan and the cadaver of her mother.

Mere hours after Allana floated down from the air with her mother, a brown Hapan panther threatened to interrupt the girl's solitude as it slowly and meticulously began sneaking up on Allana from behind, only a few meters away now. It didn't make a sound in its progress, and its prey didn't seem to know it was there yet; such a typical meal, the panther thought primitively.

Two meters now. The panther stopped and leaped for Allana.

Just as suddenly, the girl swiftly turned in her seat on the dirty ground and sent out a Force wave that knocked the panther backward. It flew several meters before crashing into the tree behind it, shattering its skull and ending its life quickly, if not painlessly.

With the same hand that she used to kill the panther, Allana used the Force to lift the dead animal off the ground and towards her, standing up as the deceased predator glided in her direction through the air.

Once it was within her grasp, she let it flop back to the ground on its back and then used the Force again to tear its chest open, exposing its now-inactive insides. Immediately, Allana dove upon the meat that was now open to her and began tearing chunks of it out to consume it like the wild carnivore that her meal once was.

Halfway through what was essentially her breakfast, Allana stopped when she felt another presence in her vicinity. She looked up and found the Bringer of Tranquility standing there, his expression unreadable even for an alien.

"Where have you been?" Allana growled, bloody meat pieces frothing from her mouth and down her form as she spoke.

"Apologies, my dear child," the Bringer of Tranquility replied in a sincere-sounding tone. "I have been somewhat... preoccupied for quite some time now. And I can see that you are now in greater need of tranquility than ever before."

Allana stood up from the half-eaten panther and stomped over to the Muun threateningly. The Bringer of Tranquility simply regarded with her with that same unidentifiable look on his face.

"What could you possibly offer me that could ease the pain that I'm going through right now?!" Allana screamed. "There's nothing you can give me! NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING!"

"Calm, child," the Bringer of Tranquility said. "For I can still grant you the one thing that you want most."

"What?! The only thing I want right now is my mother! And you can't give me that!"

"On the contrary," the Muun said. "I can give you exactly that."

Allana's expression of fury changed to one of confusion in an instant. "What?" Her tone was more of objective questioning than that of an emotional tirade this time.

"I can bring her back from the dead," the Bringer of Tranquility said with a warm smile.

"Well, then, do it!" Allana begged without hesitation. "Do it right now! Please!"

"I am sorry to say that I am not truly here right now, child," the Muun stated with regret. "I am communing with you through telepathy. You will have to wait for me to come."

"When will you come?" Allana asked, desperation clear in her voice.

"I will arrive on Hapes in less than a week, for sure. Until then, I trust that you will survive."

"Wait!" Allana cried.

But by then, the Bringer of Tranquility's form had already dissipated into nothingness, leaving Allana completely alone again.

.

The beeping from Ford's commlink beeping on his belt interrupted his and Five-U's sabacc game in the top level of the LiMerge Power building. Ford set his cards face down and reached to activate the comm and bring it to his mouthpiece.

"Hello?" Ford greeted.

"Ford, this is Plagueis," the voice at the other end replied. "I'm comming to let you know that my trip with Dr. Ruk aboard the _Teaser_ will deviate away from Ziost."

"Very good, sir," Ford said. "Where will you be going then?"

"Hapes," Plagueis answered. "There's something there that I believe can help me with my plans in the long-run."

"Thank you for letting me know, Master," Ford said. "May the Force be with you."

"It always is, Ford. It always is." Plagueis then signed off.

Ford replaced his commlink and pulled his cards off the table to resume the game. "What do you have now?" he asked Five-U.

"You know, something occurred to me," Five-U said, ignoring Ford's question about his cards. "Remember when we killed those three Jedi back on Myrkr?"

"Obviously. What about them?"

"Why did we need to electrocute them again?"

"Because if we just killed them one at a time, like, say, if we murdered the Jedi Master first, the two Knights would have sensed her death and the sensation would have roused them from unconsciousness. Then we would have been subdued by them quite easily."

"Yes, but we were on Myrkr, if you recall," Five-U pointed out. "The Force-muting planet. In fact, that was the whole reason we went there for you to interrogate the Master. If we just killed them one-by-one by lethal injection or something, the others wouldn't have sensed any of that."

"Your point, Five-U?"

"Well, I have to ask: Why did we kill them in a way that was messy, and in a way that siphoned power from the Mindabaal, when it wasn't even necessary?"

"What does it matter now?" Ford asked. "The Jedi still died either way, and I don't think things would have changed from the way they are now if they didn't end up as charred corpses."

"Well, sure, but why didn't you think of that before we killed those three Jedi?" Five-U asked. "I didn't think a droid like you, Captain, didn't think that through."

"Perhaps it was a diagnostic error in my judgment, Five-U," Ford replied. "Even droids can make mistakes."

"I guess that's true," Five-U said. "Still, looking back at that, I'm pretty peeved that I spent my last hours aboard that ship scrubbing out a messy smuggling compartment that was just going to get blown up anyway."

"Hey, I may make mistakes, but that doesn't mean I can see the future, moron," Ford said.

"Oh, no, that's not my problem," Five-U said. "I'm just pissed that I didn't get to spend my last hours in my previous body utilizing my time well."

"What do you mean utilizing your time well? What would you have done?"

"Masturbate to Muun-on-droid porn, for one."

Ford was silent for a moment. "You... you mean they actually make that now?"

"I checked it out when we traveled from Abeloth's planet to Coruscant," Five-U explained. "It actually exists; and it's pretty damn hot."

"Why do I keep learning things I don't want to, and shouldn't, be learning from you, Five-U?"

"Because that's why I'm your first mate, Captain," Five-U replied in a smug tone.


	19. Chapter 19

The entirety of the remaining Jedi Council watched the newsfeed hovering in holographic form above their meeting table with obvious concern. Anchorman Perre Needmo's disembodied voice was reporting over footage of the destroyed Hapan Royal Palace and riots breaking out across several planets in the Consortium.

"Since reports of the destroyed Royal Palace on Hapes and the death of Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo and her heir," Needmo narrated, "chaos has been spreading throughout the Transitory Mists. Local defense forces across the worlds of the Hapes Consortium are currently doing their best to quell these riots.

"Those who are maintaining what little order that still resides in the wake of Queen Mother Tenel Ka's demise are calling for a replacement to the throne," Needmo continued, "which would mark the break in the royal bloodline that has lasted for countless generations in the Consortium."

Hamner then turned off the feed and stared at each of the Masters. "Must I remind anyone how bad this is for us?" he asked.

"With Tenel Ka dead," Jaden Korr said stiffly, "that means that whoever gains the throne and organizes the Consortium again, they'll most likely harbor an anti-Jedi prejudice. Shedu Maad will become a target for the Hapan military."

"Thank you, Master Korr," Hamner nodded. "So that means one thing: we must leave the Transitory Mists if the Order is to survive."

"Where could we possibly go?" Barratk'l asked. "We're still banned from the Galactic Alliance, and it's safe to say that we've pushed our limits in entering their territory so far."

"We could try for the Imperial Remnant," Jaden pointed out. "Head of State Reige had been vouched by Jagged Fel himself. I'm sure he'll be able to accommodate us."

"It's probably our only option now," Hamner agreed. "Which means we have to mobilize as soon as-"

He was cut off from saying anymore as he and the other Masters seized up, feeling an intense increase of presences in the Maad system through the Force. Once the feeling had passed, they all rushed to the meeting room's sole window and looked out and up to the clear daylight skies.

Silhouetted in the distance was the arrival of several Galactic Alliance Star Destroyers, making their way through the icy corridor of the system as they headed for the planet.

Hamner's commlink beeped in his belt. Taking his eyes away from the fleet, he took out the comm and activated it. "Hamner here."

"Grand Master Hamner," the voice of his secretary, Murma, came through, "Admiral Bwua'tu of the Galactic Alliance fleet just commed me and requested that he speak to you. Shall I put him through."

"Do it, Murma," Hamner answered without hesitation.

"Grand Master Hamner," Admiral Nek Bwua'tu's voice came through a moment later. "Or rather, the alternate version of Grand Master Hamner. You're probably wondering why I'm here in the Maad system with this fleet from the Alliance."

"I'm listening, Admiral," Hamner said as all of the Masters' eyes focused on him now.

"As you may know," Bwua'tu began, "the Hapes Consortium is in a dire state of anarchy right now. Which, of course, means that you are no longer under its jurisdiction for the time being until they reorganize, in which case, you and your Order will no doubt be either wiped out or incarcerated given the prejudice against the Jedi. We are here to beat the Hapans to the punch, as it were."

"What do you mean?" Hamner asked worriedly.

"Chief of State Shesh is not pleased with your violation of your Order's ban from Coruscant and the rest of the Galactic Alliance, Master Hamner," Bwua'tu elaborated. "Hence, she feels that you and your entire Order must be brought in back to Coruscant to answer for your crimes. So, if you would be so kind as to surrender yourself and every other member in the Order, Master Hamner, we will avoid wiping you out so that you could live to stand trial."

"We would never-" Barratk'l tried to shout to the comm.

"We surrender," Hamner said into the comm, cutting off Barratk'l and silencing every Master in the room with those two simple words.

"I beg your pardon, Master Hamner?" Bwua'tu asked.

"I said we surrender," Hamner repeated. "You may come and take us. By my word, no member of the Order will offer you any resistance, Admiral Bwua'tu."

"My, my," Bwua'tu remarked. "It's good to see that there are Jedi who are still reasonable. You have half an hour to inform every member in the Order, not only on Shedu Maad, but wherever else there maybe Jedi in the galaxy, to stand down, Master Hamner. Do be prompt. Bwua'tu out." The connection was then cut off.

Hamner then looked up to regard the shocked and angered expressions of each of the Masters staring back at him. They all looked ready to throttle him for what he just did, and what he was about to do for Bwua'tu... again.

"Don't any of you dare look at me like that," he argued. "There aren't enough Jedi in the entire Order, much less here on Shedu Maad alone, to take on just that fleet out there." He pointed to the still-visible Star Destroyers up in the sky, which doubtless contained dozens of squadrons of starfighters each to take on the Jedi's own StealthXs. "Even the Force won't be enough of an ally here, and you all know it. Especially given our luck recently; I don't think I need to remind any of you of the devastating losses that we've suffered in the Second Swarm War recently. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I must send out a widespread message telling all other members of the Order to stand down."

Barratk'l suddenly took out and activated her lightsaber, pointing the tip of its blade up near Hamner's neck. "You will do no such thing, Master Hamner," she intoned.

Before Hamner could respond, Jaden grabbed Barratk'l's fuzzy wrist and lowered the lightsaber away from the Grand Master. The two lower-ranking Masters then looked at each other.

"Unfortunately, he will, Master Barratk'l," Jaden said. "Because, as much as even I hate to admit it..." He looked back over at Hamner. "The Grand Master is right. We've lost too much to risk anymore. It's either face certain doom at the hands of the Galactic Alliance, or stand a chance in court."

All the other Masters looked at Jaden with worrying expressions. But as he looked at each of them, they all gradually saw that, indeed, Hamner was right.

After seeing that all the Masters wouldn't offer any resistance to what he was about to do, he said, "Again, thank you, Master Korr." Then he looked back at his comm and prepared to deliver his message.


	20. Chapter 20

The _Teaser_ dropped out of hyperspace to face the world of Hapes, which was now cordoned off by the planet's defense force, preventing any ship short of a daring blockade runner from coming through.

In the cockpit of the freighter shuttle, Plagueis, in the copilot seat, Dr. Ruk, in the nav chair, and Captain Pussa, in the pilot chair, all stared at the blockade in askance for a moment before Plagueis nodded in remembrance. "Must be in response to the death of the Queen Mother," he concluded.

The inset comm beeped, and Pussa answered it. "Freighter _Teaser_," the strict yet feminine voice on the other line said, "you are in unauthorized space. Turn back now or we will open fire."

"Lord Plagueis?" Pussa asked, looking to the Muun.

The Sith Lord then pressed the answering button. "You will allow us to pass through," he said.

"We will allow you to pass through," the voice on the other end said in a trance-like tone a moment later. The connection was then cut off at the other end.

Plagueis then nodded at Pussa, who then piloted the _Teaser_ for the planet up ahead.

A few minutes later, after the freighter passed through the atmosphere and soared through Hapes's skies, Pussa asked, "Where do you want to land, Master?"

"Head over into that forest there." Plagueis pointed in the general direction of the aforementioned forest seen through the viewscreen.

"Not exactly the best place to land," Ruk pointed out.

"I'll make room for the captain, Doctor," Plagueis countered without turning to the Nautolan.

Less than a minute later, the _Teaser_ hovered over the forest canopy, and several trees beneath it were suddenly and inexplicably flattened to the dirty ground. From there, the freighter landed in the convenient clearing.

After Pussa cycled the ship down to eventually turn it off, Plagueis stood up from his seat and said to Pussa, "You stay here. Dr. Ruk and I are going to find my side project. I need to make sure he doesn't try to escape me anyway."

"You have any idea how long we'll be gone?" Ruk asked, ignoring the jab against him.

"If any sentient being not accompanied by either of us approaches while I'm gone," Plagueis said to Pussa while also managing to answer Ruk's question, "take off. The doctor and I will find our own way off."

"You know, most of us aren't immortal," Ruk said. "It's not like the captain here can wait forever, and she only has rations to last her about..." He then looked to the captain. "How long can you keep up our food supplies if you only take the bare minimum, Captain?"

"I could last a good month or so," Pussa answered.

"Fine, if we're not back in a month, or, again, if someone unaccompanied by either Dr. Ruk or approaches the ship, take off," Plagueis clarified. "Like I said, I can take care of myself and the good doctor." He then nodded at the Nautolan, who stood up, and the two of them left the cockpit to then leave the ship.

_._

It only took Plagueis and Ruk half an hour before they finally located the form of a little red-haired girl sitting on the forest floor before the corpse of her dead mother with her back turned to him. The Sith Lord made no attempt at hiding his approach, so Ruk also casually followed along.

When the girl turned from her position to regard him, her dour expression held no surprise.

"Are you really here this time?" she asked, not seeming to notice Ruk.

"Of course I am, child," Plagueis said as he and Ruk stopped in their tracks a few meters from her. The Muun managed to convey his convincing facsimile of a warm and comforting smile upon the girl.

"Then bring back my mother," the girl replied curtly and without preamble.

"Very well," he said before moving around her and kneeling before her mother's corpse.

He placed his left hand upon her chest and his other hand upon her forehead. He then closed his eyes and immersed himself completely in the Force before bestowing all of the healing power that he gathered within himself upon the body of Hapan Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo.

The power flooded her dead being until color was completely restored upon her features, and warmth pulsed throughout her body again. Her eyes fluttered open and she took a great big gasp of air just as Plagueis laid his hands off of her.

She sat up from the forest floor and looked about her surroundings. Plagueis stood up and allowed mother and child to lock eyes for several heartbeats. They both collapsed in tears as they hugged each other happily.

Continuing to hold her daughter in her arms, Tenel Ka looked up at Plagueis. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You don't have to thank me," Plagueis said. "But you can do something for him..." He pointed over to Ruk. "...and I in return."

"Whatever it is, I will do it," Tenel Ka replied. "Tell me."

"I want you to make me us ambassadors from Hapes to the Galactic Alliance," Plagueis said. "With full diplomatic immunity."

"Once we make it official through the proper channels," Tenel Ka said without hesitation, "it will be done. You just have to tell me your names."

"Certainly," Plagueis nodded. "I am Hego Damask the Second. This is Dr. Puilab Ruk."

"All right, when my daughter and I get back to the Royal Palace, I will see that you both become ambassadors," Tenel Ka promised.

"Oh, yeah, the Royal Palace," Ruk said. "About that..."

"What?" Tenel Ka asked.

Neither Plagueis nor Ruk spoke for a moment before the former said, "We regret to inform you that the Palace has been destroyed. And since your death, the entire Consortium is in chaos."

"Well, then, we need to get back," Tenel Ka said hurriedly as she broke away from her daughter's embrace. "I need to make my return known to the whole Consortium to reestablish order."

"We will wait for you until then," Plagueis said. "Until then, we bid you ado." He then executed a formal bow, with Ruk executing a less formal one, before the two of them turned around and left.


	21. Chapter 21

Sitting in her opulent office desk, Chief of State Shesh set down the datapad from which she read the news of the riots throughout the Hapes Consortium and took out and activated her commlink. She dialed in the frequency of the highest ranking member in the Galactic Alliance military.

"Admiral Bwua'tu here," the Bothan's growling voice came.

"Have you managed to either round up or otherwise... neutralize all the Jedi yet, Admiral?" Shesh asked.

"All of them on Shedu Maad anyway, Chief Shesh," Bwua'tu answered. "Grand Master Hamner has already provided me the data that we need to locate all of the other Jedi across the galaxy so that we may capture or eliminate them as well. He has promised me personally that they'll turn themselves in; and considering the surprising level of cooperation between him and everyone else on Shedu Maad, I have no solid reason to doubt him so far."

"Good to know," Shesh remarked, satisfied with what she was hearing so far. "Let's hope that all the other Jedi will be as cooperative as Hamner and his cohorts. Are you returning to Coruscant as we speak, Admiral?"

"We're already back in Alliance space, Chief," Bwua'tu reported. "It won't be long before you'll be seeing us up above Coruscant."

"Excellent," Shesh purred. "Thank you for the good news, Admiral."

"My pleasure, Chief Shesh," Bwua'tu replied evenly.

Shesh then cut off the communication between them and went back to her datapad to see what else was going on in the galaxy at large.

After a few moments of browsing, she had just took a sip from her tea which she then promptly spat out onto her office floor when she read the latest news from the Consortium.

Tenel Ka Djo, believed to have been deceased with her daughter, was now back from the dead, it seemed, and had already called in for the rebuilding of the Hapan Royal Palace. While the rebuilding was going on, she and her child would be residing aboard her reserved Battle Dragon, the _Dragon Queen II_, until the Palace was fit to be lived in by the royal bloodline again.

Well, Shesh thought, looks like there would be some conflict of interest between the Consortium and the Alliance once Tenel Ka realized what had happened to her precious Jedi Order.

.

Plagueis smirked as he sat in his seat in the _Teaser_'s passenger cabin reading the news on his datapad.

Dr. Ruk, who appeared to have been playing a word game on his datapad in his own seat, looked over at Plagueis and asked, "What is it?"

The Sith Lord looked over at the scientist. "When Tenel Ka retook control of the Consortium, she was pretty angry when she learned about what happened to the Jedi Order."

"Something happened to the Jedi Order?" Ruk asked. "I didn't know."

"Neither did I until just now," Plagueis informed him. "During the chaos that occurred after her death, the Galactic Alliance took advantage of the lack of authority of the Jedi and went to Shedu Maad, which is the home of the Jedi Order, in case you didn't know. Alliance Admiral Bwua'tu asked the Jedi Grand Master to surrender or die at the hands of his fleet, and the Grand Master wisely decided to surrender himself and the rest of the Order."

"So what's the Queen Mother doing about this?" Ruk asked.

"She's threatening to launch a full-scale war against the Alliance if they don't give the Jedi back in a week." Plagueis appeared to be quite happy. "So guess who might go to Coruscant to try to resolve this issue: ambassadors from Hapes."

Ruk's face lit up with realization. "An excuse to go back to Coruscant and continue our work, even if we have to at least pretend we're trying to quell another galactic conflict."

"That's right," Plagueis nodded. "And I believe we only had a few more things we needed to get right on our portal machine before we're ready to activate it."

"Yes, we do," Ruk said. "But what happens when the Galactic Alliance authorities and the Jedi call us out on who we are? That diplomatic immunity isn't going to last long on us when the Queen Mother hears of those accurate accusations."

"It won't matter if she does," Plagueis said. "When I brought her back from the dead, I made sure that she would serve my will no matter what."

Ruk looked surprised at this.

"What, you thought she agreed to make us ambassadors so easily because she just came back from the dead and was emotionally cathartic when she reunited with her daughter?" Plagueis laughed insincerely. "Oh, no, when I resurrect a staunch supporter of the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi, especially one who was once a Jedi herself, I make sure they fall onto my side when they breathe their first breaths of their new life."

"Okay, so that takes care of the Queen Mother and everyone who follows her, even the treacherous nobles sniping at her back," Ruk said sardonically. "And while it may be suspicious to everyone else, there's really nothing anyone can do about it anyway. But are you sure that the Chume'da can be relied on not to go against us and her mother, considering how out of character the Queen Mother will be?"

"I spent quite a bit of time manipulating her, Doctor, and I brought her mother back from the dead," Plagueis pointed out. "I doubt she'll have a change of heart when it comes to us.

"And even if she did, I have an ace in the hole that will ensure her cooperation with us either way."

"What's that?" Ruk inquired.

"Not only did I make sure that Tenel Ka would be on our side when I brought her back from the dead," Plagueis said, "but I also instilled a safeguard in her system that was meant to go off specifically if her daughter ever did come to her senses and decide to betray us. And that safeguard is simply reversing what I've done."

"Making her die all over again," Ruk concluded. "But tell me, why didn't you just do to the Chume'da what you did to her mother?"

"She is too powerful, even for me," Plagueis said. "And while she certainly can't kill me, for nothing can, trying to take her over would be a waste of my eternal time."

"Well, you could just kill her and bring her back to life to serve your will," Ruk suggested.

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," Plagueis said.

"Why not?"

"Because she's a descendent of Anakin Skywalker."

"So what?" Ruk asked.

"I created Anakin Skywalker," Plagueis said. "I manipulated the midi-chlorians necessary to conceive of him in his mother's womb. For all intents and purposes, I am his father."

"While that's an interesting factoid I never knew about you," Ruk said, "that still doesn't answer my question."

"Obviously, Skywalker was special," Plagueis elaborated. "And because of his unique origin, it acts as a sort of barrier against my power that lives through to his descendents. While I am able to influence the Chume'da's thinking like I've done so far, I can't physically do anything to her that would absolutely ensure her cooperation with us, nor can I even bring her back to life. She would even be invulnerable to my Force-lightning."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Ruk said. "You created Skywalker. Wouldn't that mean that he and his descendents be more prone to your abilities than others?"

"I would think the same thing," Plagueis admitted. "But it's just... something that I feel from the Force whenever I'm in contact with the Chume'da. It lets me know on an instinctual level that anything I do to her through the Force will be completely ineffective."

"This Force thing doesn't make a whole lot of sense," Ruk said.

Plagueis shrugged. "Some things are just not meant to be understood. As an immortal, I've come to accept that fact quite easily compared to when I was actively searching to prolong my life indefinitely."

Ruk sighed and turned back to his game.

"Oh, and you're probably also thinking why I didn't simply just convert you to my will like I did with Captain Pussa and Tenel Ka," Plagueis said.

Ruk looked back up at the Sith. "Yeah, why didn't you do that?"

Plagueis smiled. "Simply, Doctor? I kind of enjoy the little nuggets of fear in your being that you try to repress every time you're with me."


	22. Chapter 22

The long white streaks of hyperspace seen in the _Admiral Ackbar_'s viewport resolved into tiny distant pinpricks in the blackness of space, signifying its return to realspace with the rest of Admiral Bwua'tu's fleet. In the foreground rotated the black-orange ball of Coruscant, home of the Galactic Alliance and what would soon serve as a prison for the members of the Jedi Order collected so far.

Almost immediately, the _Ackbar_'s comm console beeped, and the female Bothan lieutenant stationed there answered it. After a couple of moments, she turned in her seat and called out to Bwua'tu, "Admiral, a transmission from Coruscant."

"Put it through to my chair," Bwua'tu ordered leisurely.

The lieutenant fulfilled the command and a crisp masculine voice came through out of the console installed in the right arm of Bwua'tu's command chair. "Alliance fleet," the voice said, "this is Orbital Defense. You are clear to ferry the Jedi that you have arrested down toward the Armand Isard Correction Facility."

Bwua'tu pressed a button on his chair's right arm. "Understood, Defense." After the communication was cut off from the other line, indicating the end of the conversation in an efficient militant way, the Admiral pressed a button on his chair's left arm_. _He then repeated the message given to him by Orbital Defense as he made his announcement through the fleet frequency to let the crew members ferrying the Jedi down know what they had to do.

A few moments later, Bwua'tu watched in continued satisfaction through his ship's viewport as shuttles that had dropped out of the hangar bays of the returning fleet's Star Destroyers flew past for Coruscant.

"Admiral," the Bothan lieutenant called without turning away from her station. "Another Star Destroyer has come out of hyperspace. And it's the _Errant Venture_."

Bwua'tu grimaced. _Terrik_, he thought. The Admiral had a pretty good idea as to what the old human was here in the system for. A hail should be coming in three, two, one...

"Sir, the _Venture_ is hailing us," the lieutenant reported.

_Of course it is_, Bwua'tu thought sardonically. "Put it to my chair," he said reluctantly.

As soon as the frequency came through, Captain Booster Terrik's angry voice said, "Bwua'tu, what in all nine Corellian Hells do you think you're doing?!"

"Fulfilling a command from Chief of State Shesh herself, Captain Terrik," Bwua'tu replied as evenly as he could. "I assume you have a grievance against this action?" That last sentence was more of a formality than an actual question.

"You damn right I do!" Terrik practically shouted. "I demand that you release every single Jedi right now, or I will open fire against you?"

Bwua'tu allowed an annoyed sigh to escape. "I am not going to release all the Jedi we have just because you threaten to fire upon me and my fleet with a single Star Destroyer, Captain Terrik. I have my orders, and I doubt you can do anything to save your grandchildren, I'm sorry to report. So save your breath and leave before I order an assault against your cruise ship to detain or neutralize you."

Terrik scoffed. "Ha! You think I'd come here to challenge the Galactic Alliance Defense Force to free my grandchildren and the rest of the Jedi Order if I didn't have backup, Admiral? I maybe old, but I sure ain't senile."

"Sir!" the Bothan lieutenant called again. "Hundreds of vessels just dropped out behind the _Venture_!"

"I assume you have something to do with that, Captain?" Bwua'tu asked.

"You bet your hairy ass, I do," Terrik replied smugly. "You'd be surprised to know how easy it was to reorganize the Smugglers' Alliance just for this occasion, Admiral."

Promptly, Bwua'tu cut off the communication with Terrik and activated the fleet-wide frequency again. "All forces, turn toward the newly arrived ships and prepare for battle."

.

Still lounging in the top level of the LiMerge Power building, Ford and Five-U sat together on a couch while the former was playing a game on his datapad while the latter was watching a holodrama on his own 'pad.

"You know, I was just thinking," Ford said, not taking his photoreceptors off his game.

"Hmm?" Five-U inquired, not taking his own sight off his show.

"You remember our last conversation where you pointed out the slight inefficiency of how we killed the Jedi on Myrkr?" Ford asked.

"You've been thinking about this to get back at me, haven't you?" Five-U retorted.

"Why didn't you point that out to me when we were actually doing the deed?" Ford asked.

"Diagnostic error in my judgment?" Five-U retorted.

"Fair enough," Ford replied curtly. "And you're most likely going to bring up something about how we killed the Jedi later on next time we talk, eh?"

"Maybe," Five-U said. "I'll make sure not to mention any kind of bizarre porn when I do it for your sake, though."

"Glad we understand each other."

They were both interrupted from their reverie when they heard a loud _boom!_ outside the building. The droids looked to the window, where they both paused what they were doing on their datapads, set them down on the living table before them, and hurried to the window.

Outside, they saw a building several blocks away up in flames. Shortly after, an Alliance starfighter spiraled out of the sky, an inferno in and of itself, before it crashed into another building.

Ford and Five-U turned away from the window and hurried back for their datapads. More booms followed, no doubt more starfighters crashing from the sky, as the droids set their 'pads to the HoloNet to see what was going on.

"...we urge everyone on Coruscant right now to seek any safe shelter they can from the casualties and unintended fire occurring from the battle above," the slightly-panicked voice of a female human reporter came in on both 'pads. "I repeat, we urge everyone on Coruscant right now to seek any safe shelter they can from the battle going on in high orbit."

With that, the droids shut off their datapads and stored them in the compartment that opened up in Five-U's astromech head.

"To the basement of the building, Five-U?" Ford suggested.

"To the basement of the building, Captain."


	23. Chapter 23

Sitting on her throne within her personal chamber of the _Dragon Queen II_, Tenel Ka sensed the mild panic emanating from the arrival of the being that was approaching the chamber. It wasn't long before that being, her latest chamberlain Klira, entered with a look of apprehension on her features.

"Milady," Klira said after she prostrated herself before the Queen Mother, "urgent news from Coruscant! The system is now being embattled by the Smugglers' Alliance for the freedom of the Jedi!"

"The Smugglers' Alliance?" Tenel Ka echoed in askance. "Who reorganized that band?"

"Apparently, Captain Booster Terrik of the Star Destroyer cruise ship _Errant Venture_," Klira answered.

"Terrik," Tenel Ka replied with bitterness. "He's only making the situation worse by invading Coruscant."

"With all due respect, he is trying to free the Jedi, Your Majesty," Klira pointed out.

"Terrik's doing this more for his grandchildren than the Order at large, Klira," Tenel Ka countered. "His selfishness will endanger more lives than can be saved if he just waited and allowed us to go through diplomatic channels."

"So what will we do now, Your Highness?" Klira asked.

Tenel Ka took out her datapad from within her royal robes and activated it in order to channel it to a HoloNet frequency reporting on the progress of the battle at Coruscant. "We wait out the battle, Klira. I have no interest in aiding smugglers, no matter what their intentions. Our presence there will only escalate the violence further, so it looks bad on the Consortium's reputation to the larger galactic community either way.

"But, as much as I think that Terrik is mucking things up, if he and his Alliance win and reclaim all the Jedi, then the Galactic Alliance will have no choice but to open up a war against the Consortium if they want the Order back under incarceration. And even Shesh wouldn't be stupid enough to do that, especially given the losses that I pointed out to her in our conversation, and the losses that they're undergoing against the smuggler fleet right now."

"And if the Galactic Alliance wins and they keep the Jedi?" Klira inquired.

"Then we'll continue with our original plan of opening up negotiations," Tenel Ka stated. "Which will no doubt fall into our favor, because even if the Alliance loses this battle, Shesh still knows that she can't risk a war yet. So either way, we will have the Jedi back in our fold."

"There is the possibility that some of the Jedi may die over the course of the battle," Klira stated.

"True," Tenel Ka agreed. "But that's always a possibility in the midst of combat, Klira. Let's just hope Terrik will at least bring back the majority of the captured Jedi, if not all of them. However, I wouldn't be surprised if he, assuming he survives the battle, of course, and the remainders of his fleet depart the Coruscant system if he finds out that both of his grandchildren would have died during the battle, regardless of how many captured Jedi remained alive."

"Well, in the meantime, if you will allow me, Your Highness," Klira said, "do you want to contact this Hego Damask now just to prepare on the off-chance that Terrik and his ilk lose the battle against the Alliance?"

"I think that would be good idea, Klira," Tenel Ka agreed. "I've made sure that all the procedures to ensure his status as a Consortium ambassador to the Galactic Alliance have been complete. All I have to do now is let him know that; I'll tell him when he needs to go to Coruscant later on. Let the battle end first, obviously." She then set her datapad down on the right arm of her throne and reached for her personal commlink before she stopped and stared back at Klira in horror.

"What is it, Your Highness?" Klira asked, clearly concerned.

"I just realized that I never got Damask's comm frequency on record," Tenel Ka said. "I was so emotionally distracted from my resurrection and my reunion with Allana that I didn't even think to ask-"

"That will not be necessary, Your Majesty," a nasally yet intimidating voice said from behind Klira.

The chamberlain turned around swiftly in surprise while Tenel Ka looked past the young woman to regard the Muun that wasn't there mere seconds earlier.

"I sensed your intention to contact me," Hego Damask the Second explained with a reassuring smile. "You have no need to worry about not receiving my comm frequency."

"What do you mean you sensed her?" Klira asked. "Are you a Force-sensitive like the Queen Mother?"

Damask nodded at the chamberlain. "I sensed it because when I brought her back to life, I made sure that she and I had a spiritual connection that would be necessary for just these purposes. Hence, what you see now is merely my astral form being projected within the Queen Mother's vicinity."

"Okay, but may I ask why that is necessary, Mister Damask?" Klira asked.

"I appreciate efficiency in my actions, my dear," Damask answered. "There are so many things that could go wrong in a commlink-to-commlink frequency. I like to make sure that communication with Her Majesty would be less... complicated, if you will."

"I see," Klira said with a hesitant nod.

Still maintaining his reassuring smile, which was now turning unsettling given the circumstances, Damask tilted his head as he continued to regard the chamberlain. "You doubt my words, young lady?"

Klira stared back at him, unable to hide her discomfort at his question. "N-no, no, Mister Damask, I do not doubt your words." She bowed her head in obeisance.

"Good to know," Damask replied. Though his tone seemed sincere, it was, at the same time, clear that he knew that Klira was lying. But, for whatever reasons he had, he decided to ignore the chamberlain from thereon as he turned his gaze up to Tenel Ka. "So, what did you want to speak to me about, Your Highness?"

"I just wanted to let you know that all the procedures to ensure your status as ambassador have been fulfilled," Tenel Ka informed him.

"Excellent. So when am I to go to Coruscant?"

"As soon as the battle there ends."

"Battle?" Damask asked. "Perhaps I'm behind on my news. What's the nature of this battle?"

The Queen Mother then summarized what Klira told her, and Damask's expression hardened into a grimace.

"Very well," he said once she concluded. "I will appear again when you need to tell me that I may go there."

Tenel Ka nodded, and Damask's form just disappeared from sight.

"You obviously don't like him, Klira," the Queen Mother said.

The chamberlain turned from where she had been looking at Damask to regard Her Majesty. "May I speak freely, Your Highness?"

"You may."

"I feel... uneasy around him," Klira responded. "For some reason, he just doesn't seem to be... genuine, if you will."

"So what are you saying I should do with him?" Tenel Ka asked. "Deny him his request to become ambassador to Coruscant? Other than your 'uneasy feeling' around him, I see no substantial evidence to not send him over to negotiate the Jedi's freedom from the Galactic Alliance, even if Captain Terrik retrieves all of them."

"Wait, Your Majesty," Klira said, "what do you mean even if Captain Terrik retrieves all of the Jedi? Wouldn't that make sending Damask over to the Alliance unnecessary?"

"For the purpose of retrieving the Jedi, of course sending him over there will be unnecessary," Tenel Ka agreed. "But I still think he can serve as a representative of the Consortium."

"Pardon me, but why?" Klira asked. "Just because he brought you back to life doesn't mean you should just automatically grant him the rank of ambassador to the Consortium. Other than what he did for you, I doubt you know anything about this being."

"Save your doubts for when I think they need to be voiced, chamberlain," Tenel Ka replied harshly. "You are in no position to be questioning the politics of Hapes."

Reluctantly, but without hesitation, Klira bowed her head before the Queen Mother. "Apologies, Your Majesty. You are right. I am out of place to be questioning your vast wisdom."

"Indeed, you are," Tenel Ka said. "Now, I am hungry. Tell the chefs to prepare me my dinner for today."

"Of course, Your Highness," Klira said before turning away and leaving the room to fulfill her duties.


	24. Chapter 24

With the planetary shields down, hundreds of shuttles dropped out of the hangar bays of the Smugglers' Alliance's capital ships and headed straight for Coruscant. Along the way, they received escorts in the way of their side's starfighters which then defended them from harrying fire from the Galactic Alliance's war vessels. Very few of these shuttles were actually destroyed before they passed through Coruscant's atmosphere, with the bulk of the battle between the Galactic Alliance and the Smugglers' Alliance behind them.

The shuttles that did make through to rocket down from the planet's skies - some of them still with at least a portion of their starfighter escorts - zoomed for the under-levels of Coruscant that bordered on the nearly-destroyed underworld and the more prestigious upper levels. Once they touched down on various unoccupied walkways - considering that they weren't used much in these parts anyway - and other remote locations, they discharged their crews of men and women of various species down the opening boarding ramps.

Those crews made themselves discreet as quickly as possible, disappearing from sight wherever they could to distance themselves from the downed shuttles. The starfighters, meanwhile, turned back up to the skies and raced to reengage the Galactic Alliance fighters that were just catching up to them.

Not long after, the shuttles self-destructed.

.

Ford and Five-U stood in a dark corner of the empty basement, watching Ford's datapad for updated news regarding the battle between the Galactic Alliance and the Smugglers' Alliance on and around Coruscant.

They were interrupted from their viewing of the program as it was narrated by Perre Needmo when Ford's commlink beeped at his waist. He used his free hand to reach and activate it. "Hello?" he spoke into it.

"Ford, is there a battle occurring at Coruscant right now?" Plagueis's voice asked from the comm.

"Why, yes, there is, Master," Ford answered simply. "Five-U and I are currently hiding in the basement of the LiMerge Power building. We're safe here."

"That's good to know," Plagueis responded.

"How goes your journey, Master?" Ford asked.

"If this battle ends soon," Plagueis said, "then you should expect Dr. Ruk and I back on Coruscant in a few days, Ford."

"You've found a way to return and continue your research?" Ford asked.

"Indeed, I have. I just wanted to see if you were okay, and to update you on my progress."

"Thank you, Master," Ford said. "I hope to see you again soon."

"So do I. Plagueis out." The connection was then canceled from the other end.

"I think he's starting to be fond of us," Five-U remarked dryly as his captain replaced his commlink back on his waist.

"More likely just me," Ford said. "I think it's safe to say he doesn't much care for you, especially not after the way you questioned him and said that we weren't coming with him and Ruk before they left."

Just as Five-U scoffed at what Ford just said, the voice of Perre Needmo coming through the datapad was reporting some stunning news that was visually aided by holofootage of starfighters from the Smugglers' Alliance returning back into space to reenter the hangar bays of their capital vessels. While some of them didn't make it through the friendly and enemy fire that still ensued in the battle, it was plain to see that the majority of them that had entered and left the planet had made it back to their individual bases.

Not long after, the capital vessels of the smugglers began turning away from the GA fleet, their rear weapons firing to defend themselves as much as possible, and before long, they disappeared into hyperspace.

"It appears as if the remnants of the Smugglers' Alliance fleet has departed the system," Needmo's voice stated in a relieved tone, as it signified the end of the conflict.

Almost immediately, Ford shut off the datapad, hooked it back to his waist next to his commlink, and looked down at Five-U. "Why do you think they left without accomplishing their goal?" he asked the astromech.

"Good question," Five-U responded. "Given the reports, the smugglers' fleet still appeared to be quite strong. They could have kept the battle up for another few hours the way they fought. Maybe it had something to do with those shuttles that exploded."

"Any conclusions?" Ford inquired.

"My guess? They probably dispatched some parties to sneak into the Armand Isard Correctional Facility and break the Jedi out."

"And they blew up their shuttles so they'd leave nothing behind," Ford concluded. "So the question remains as to how long it'll be before the breakout occurs."

.

"I don't know what convinced Captain Terrik and his ilk to turn tail and run," Tenel Ka, sitting on her throne, said to the astral form of Hego Damask in the _Dragon Queen II_'s throne room, "but this can now work to our advantage better than if he did retrieve the Jedi."

"How?" Damask asked.

"As much as the smugglers returning the Jedi to the Consortium would have been beneficial," Tenel Ka said, "it would have made things more complicated. Sure, I doubt Shesh would have declared war on Hapes and its accompanying worlds immediately, but over time, after they built up their fleet again..."

Damask nodded. "I understand. This will make sure that we can come to a deal with the Alliance much quicker, and maybe even avert war entirely."

"I will soon send out a message to Chief Shesh letting her know of your arrival in the next day or two," Tenel Ka informed him. "And don't worry about the possibility of her turning you away. I'll persuade her."

"Jedi mind-trick?" Damask asked wryly.

"Shesh maybe an idiot politically, but she isn't weak-minded," Tenel Ka said. "All I have to do is remind her that now, after that battle against the smugglers, her forces are even less prepared to fight the Consortium than they've ever been since the end of the Second Swarm War. After that, I'll have you prepared with an escort fleet to Coruscant, which will only take a few hours, at most, to arrange."

"Good to know," Damask replied with a knowing smile. "Will that be all."

"For now."

With that, the Muun's form faded away.


	25. Chapter 25

"I can only imagine how much work I'm going to have to go through because of all this," Chief of State Shesh commented to no one in particular as she was walked back into her office. Accompanying her were the three guards who led her to the underground bunker beneath the Imperial Palace while the battle between the Alliance and smuggler forces had been raging. "You may go," she told them as she continued to her desk, not bothering to turn around when she addressed them.

Wordlessly, the guards turned and left the office, leaving the Chief of State alone for the time being.

The first thing that happened when Shesh sat down was that her in-desk comm beeped. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she activated it. "What?"

"Chief," her secretary, female Twi'lek Desha Lor, said. Shesh never forgot that the young woman was once the assistance of her predecessor, the late Wynn Dorvan, no matter how much she tried. "The Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium is requesting that she speak to you."

Shesh allowed an exasperated sigh to escape from her lips before replying. "Send the link through to my office," she responded reluctantly. Then she signed off from the connection.

A few moments later, the face of Tenel Ka Djo resolved over Shesh's desk, her holographic features appearing deceptively blue as always.

"Chief Shesh," Tenel Ka began, "I understand that during my death, you ordered one of your military fleets to enter the Maad system and arrest all of the Jedi there. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," Shesh replied, her tone more livid than anything else. "I presume you will declare war against the Alliance now, Your Majesty? Because keep in mind, now that I have most of the Order here, I will have no problem executing-"

"I am not threatening to start a war just yet, Chief," Tenel Ka interjected. "I want to end this before it even begins. Through negotiation, of course."

Shesh scoffed. "What have you to offer me, or any of the Galactic Alliance for that matter, that would persuade me to release the Jedi back into your hold?"

"The promise that the Consortium will not go to war with the Alliance."

"Then you're wasting your time, Your Royalness," she mocked. "I have every inclination of keeping the Jedi and seeing to it that they get their just desserts for violating the ban."

"Even if it means the downfall of your government?" Tenel Ka rebuked.

Shesh looked back at her in askance. "What are you talking about?"

Tenel Ka sighed in irritation. "We have been through this before, Shesh. The Alliance military was not strong enough to take on the Consortium when you first came to me, 'asking' to release my hold on the Jedi, and it is now weaker than before because of the losses you took in your battle against the smugglers."

"You're going to have to do better than that, Queen Mother," Shesh replied in an uncertain tone.

Tenel Ka actually rolled her eyes. "You might as well be covering your ears and saying, 'La-la-la-la-la-la, I am not listening.' Grow up, Chief Shesh, and accept the reality before you. I know you maybe an idiot, but I'm sure that the likes of Admiral Bwua'tu know that you turning down negotiations is a bad idea. Sure, they won't defy you, but you'll only look more like a fool in the history records."

"You're not helping your cause by insulting the Chief of State of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, Your Highness."

"Oh, I am sorry," she replied sarcastically. "I did not know that I had to give someone like you respect. A petty populist who had her already-out-of-office predecessor murdered just to secure her latest position in the Alliance government."

Shesh gave Tenel Ka a disgusted look. "Why I never... You have no proof of that."

"You would be surprised what information Hapan spies can bring," Tenel Ka replied with a smirk.

"You have _spies_ here?!" Shesh practically shouted. "That, in and of itself, is more than enough for me to declare war on your precious Consortium, you royal slut!"

"Calling me a slut, eh?" Tenel Ka replied wryly. "And how was it that you managed to achieve your Senatorial position from Kuat again?"

Shesh's face turned red. "Not even your spies have any way to validate those rumors," she growled.

"Is that so?" Tenel Ka retorted. "I would not be too sure of that..."

Shesh was silent for a while as she and Tenel Ka stared each other down before the Chief of State sighed and looked down at her desk for a brief moment. She then looked back up and reluctantly asked, "Who will be your ambassador and how long will it be before she shows up to Coruscant?"

"Before _he_ shows up to Coruscant," Tenel Ka clarified. "His name is Hego Damask the Second, and he will arrive at Coruscant in two days time."

Shesh raised an eyebrow. "You're finally allowing men to represent the Consortium?"

"He is the one who brought me back from the dead so that I could attempt to reclaim the Jedi from your grip," Tenel Ka replied. "He has every right to represent the Consortium as its ambassador."

"If you think so," Shesh replied nonchalantly. "So, will that be all, Your Highness?'

Tenel Ka nodded sternly. "It will. For now."

Without anymore words, Shesh reached over and turned off the transmission between her and the Queen Mother.

She then sat back against her chair in frustration.

.

In the asylum ward of the Armand Isard Correctional Facility, Raynar Thul sat alone in a dark corner of his cell, like he always did these days.

Except now he had a restricting straitjacket sanctioned not by the Jedi Order, but rather, from the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances.

_Free_, Raynar thought dourly. _Some freedom this is_.

Alone with his thoughts, Raynar doubted that he would ever get the treatment he really needed - the treatment from Master Cilghal, that is - and that now, he would simply go mad while "doctors" tried vainly to bring him back to sanity. He predicted, without the Force, that he would spend the rest of his life here, wasting away like spoiled meat.

Thinking about the Force was hurting Raynar emotionally, for he knew that he could never touch it ever again. Not with a ysalamari Force bubble emanating somewhere outside his cell, but close enough to block off his connection to his virtual sixth sense along with the other Jedi here.

Raynar was about to shed a tear over his predicament when his head perked up, for he felt something. Something through the Force. He instinctively knew that he was still cut off from it, for the most part at least, and he couldn't feel any other beings outside his cell, but whatever this thing that he was feeling was, it was acting like a hole in this ysalamari bubble.

And it was coming from the underworld of Coruscant.

Raynar reached out for whatever that thing was and used it to gradually widen his Force-repressing hole.


	26. Chapter 26

Ford and Five-U reentered the room at the top level of the LiMerge Power building that they had been living in since Plagueis and Dr. Ruk left. There, they found a giant, jagged hole in the wall before them, and the rest of the room was just a mess.

"Laser blast, no doubt," Ford concluded after a few seconds of observing the destruction. "Needless to say, good thing we went to the basement."

"Yeah. Well, I guess this means that we have to find some other rundown, decrepit, abandoned building to live in until Plagueis gets back," Five-U said. "Any suggestions?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could find a more prestigious apartment somewhere in the more well-regarded areas of Coruscant, Five-U," Ford said.

"We don't have the money for that," Five-U pointed out. "Not since Booster Terrik robbed you of your funds."

"So why isn't the option of getting jobs on the table?" Ford asked.

"We had a job, remember?" Five-U rebuked. "And we lost it because you screwed up in fooling the Grand Master of the Jedi Order!"

"Hey, you're the one who disposed of those Jedi bodies," Ford argued. "Which the Jedi found, by the way, that's how they determined our guilt."

"Under your order I disposed of those bodies," Five-U said. "And I'm still peeved at the way we had to kill those Jedi overall."

"Oh, what a pity that the galaxy must put on you because you didn't get to masturbate in your final hours in that stupid body of yours," Ford said. "Why didn't you plan, on the off-chance that something like that would happen, to transfer your conscious into a body that you could masturbate to in the first place?"

"I didn't think it would actually happen! I installed it just for yucks!" Five-U nearly shouted.

"Must've been pretty disappointed to figure out that it would happen once I told you we fell under a Most Wanted List, eh?" Ford pointed out.

"Well, not once, at that moment, I mean, when you told me, but it dawn upon me that it would happen when the idea came up," Five-U said.

"So it's basically your fault that you're not in a body that you can masturbate through," Ford said.

"What are you, a psychoanalyst? It was your idea that got us into this mess in the first place!" Five-U accused.

"All right, all right, calm down, calm down," Ford said with raised arms. "This is obviously not getting us anywhere. We need to move along now."

"Oh, so suddenly, when I'm the one who's making a good point in the argument, it's going nowhere," Five-U retorted.

"Well, what else is this argument going to do for either of us anyway?" Ford asked.

"How about this? We should cut and run from Plagueis and start our lives elsewhere," Five-U suggested.

"Are you serious? Are you insane? Even if my he'll never, ever succeed in taking over all of reality, which I doubt he'll fail to do anyway, he'll come after both our asses for abandoning his!" Ford shouted. "You really wanna deal with a pissed-off immortal Sith Lord later on down the line?"

Five-U groaned. "Okay, fine. How are we going to get money now, though?"

"Like I said, we find jobs," Ford responded simply.

"In this economy these days? We'd be luckier off as beggars on the mid to lower levels, Captain," Five-U said.

"Yeah, but what else have we got to do?" Ford retorted.

"Good point," Five-U agreed. "So you wanna comm Plagueis and update him on what we're up to?" His tone contained some of the resentment he held for the old Muun.

"What have you got against him anyway?" Ford finally asked.

"Oh, you wanna know? You wanna know? It's because you place so much of your loyalty on him, and not thinking about the two of us."

"Is that really your problem?" Ford asked. "I owe him everything! I owe him my life, who I am today! All of that was because of him, and it would have been selfish of me to not help him continue his search for immortality by bringing him back from the dead!"

"Yeah, well, he's immortal now, so you owe him nothing anymore," Five-U countered.

"Putting aside, for the moment, the fact that he'll no doubt track us down and destroy us both if we leave him, do you know what I used to be before Plagueis came into my life?" Ford argued. "I used to be a friggin' nurse aboard a smuggling ship! All of my talents, all of my abilities, were being wasted whenever I was with those morons that I crewed with. The day Lord Plagueis stowed away aboard the _Woebegone_ and massacred those imbeciles was probably the best day of my life!

"Because it was then that he took me in. He had a chance to destroy me like he did the others, but he didn't. Sure, it was because I would heal his wounds, but beyond that, he saw just how useful I could be to his project of manipulating midi-chlorians to prolong his life indefinitely. And it was that decades-long project that utilized my skills to their fullest. I was finally accomplishing something truly meaningful in my life, that allowed me to make use of all that I had!

"Because of Darth Plagueis, I rose to my full potential."

Five-U was silent for a moment, allowing the tension that had built up between them to simmer. After a while, he asked, "So I mean absolutely nothing to you, huh?"

"Between you and the Master? Absolutely. And you have absolutely no right to question him like you did before he and Ruk left! You were lucky that he is as calm and patient as he is. Had that been any other Sith, you wouldn't even be active to whining like you are now. So shut the hell up and accept that you are expendable to Lord Plagueis's plans, just as I am, just as Ruk is, just as that pilot they captured is, just like everyone but Plagueis himself is."

"How dare you think either of us as expendable?" Five-U countered.

"Oh, please, spare me your rhetoric about droid freedoms and all that crap," Ford replied. "It's a useful tool, I'll give it that, but-"

"But nothing!" Five-U interrupted. "It's droids like you that sentient beings argued shouldn't have free will. Now I see why. You're not willing to take up what's offered to you when it really matters, One-One-Four-Dee. Droids like you don't deserve the freedom that's offered."

"Are you finished?" Ford asked.

"I think I've said my piece," Five-U answered.

"Then you'll understand why I'm firing you right now," Ford said. "You've become a lot more than you're worth."

"Why? Because I make you see that you're still nothing more than a pathetic slave serving your domineering Master's whims?"

"Don't expect me to put in a good word for you when you try to find another job," Ford said before he turned away and exited the room, leaving Five-U all alone.


	27. Chapter 27

The _Teaser_ dropped out of hyperspace to enter the Coruscant system with its escorting fleet of Hapan Battle Dragons tailing it.

_So close_, Plagueis said from the copilot seat of the freighter. _So close to completing my goals now_-

He was interrupted from his reverie by the dual beeping from both the ship's inset comm and his own commlink. He picked up his own commlink first and saw that he had a message waiting there that had been transmitted while the _Teaser_ was in hyperspace.

"It can wait," he said to Captain Pussa, who nodded and activated the ship's comm.

"Freighter _Teaser_," the masculine voice on the other end said, "this is Orbital Defense. Is Ambassador Hego Damask the Second available to speak?"

"Yes, I am," Plagueis answered.

"Welcome, Ambassador," the voice replied kindly enough, though still in a strict, militant tone. "You are free to land your freighter on top of the Imperial Palace after you have arrived on Coruscant. You are permitted to allow an escort from your fleet to accompany you."

"Thank you," Plagueis said. The communication was then shut off from the other end.

Moments later, after Plagueis managed to contact Dukat Aleson Gray, commander of the Hapan fleet, and informed him that he would like an escort, the _Teaser_ was aided down through Coruscant's atmosphere by a squadron of Miy'til starfighters.

It wasn't long before the _Teaser_ and all twelve of the Miy'tils landed on top of the Imperial Palace, as directed by the speaker of Orbital Defense. Plagueis, Ruk, Pussa, and all the Hapan pilots of the fighters exited from their vessels to meet with Chief of State Gerila Shesh, who was accompanied by a few bodyguards and sycophants near the entrance to the Palace.

Once Plagueis was close enough to the Chief of State, he humbly bowed before her, and Ruk and Pussa executed less formal bows. The pilots, who appeared to be doubling as Plagueis's bodyguards - telling anyone that he wouldn't need any guards would be highly suspicious, obviously - remained standing upright, for they bowed only to Hapan nobility and royalty.

"I really must thank you for your hospitality, Chief Shesh," Plagueis said formally, "and for allowing Dr. Ruk and I here to act as negotiators for the release of the Jedi back to the Hapes Consortium."

Shesh nodded with a smile that was faker than the average Twi'lek model's silicon implants. "You are very welcome, Ambassador Damask. So, shall we take these activities indoors and actually allow the negotiations to commence?" Even when she was being formal and not saying anything really rude, Shesh still came off like a manipulative witch, Plagueis thought.

Nevertheless, Plagueis returned the Chief of State's nod, with about as much sincerity, and followed her and her sycophants and guards into the Imperial Palace.

"You have any experience in negotiating?" Pussa asked Ruk quietly as they and the Hapan pilots followed Plagueis inside.

"I successfully negotiated for my grant once," Ruk replied just as quietly. "Does that count?"

"I think you may want to leave the majority of the negotiating to the Master," Pussa answered.

"Good idea," Ruk agreed as they finally entered.

.

The hole had become big enough. It had been ripped apart entirely. Whatever influence that the ysalamari had on him, wherever it was, Raynar could no longer feel it, as the Force flooded through his every being like a great river rushing through an open dam.

And like a great river rushing through a dam, the impact against Raynar's being hurt him, for with the Force carried the horrible taint of the dark side.

A great being was here now. The same great being responsible for whatever tore a hole through his ysalamari bubble. And this being was unmistakeably suffused with the power of the dark side of the Force.

He had to be stopped.

Rising to his feet, Raynar sent out a Force wave that broke him out of his straitjacket. Next, with his arms now free, he used both of them to send out an invisible wave to the door that led outside his cell. It immediately blew out and he followed suit in a rush as a sheering alarm went off in response to the property damage.

Finding himself in a dimly-lit, pristine white corridor, he looked to both sides, and at either end, one guard each, both light-skinned human males, came running for him, telling him to get back into his cell. Stretching his arms out both sides, he sent out two Force waves altogether, sending both guards flying back to hit the walls behind them before collapsing to the ground unconscious.

Raynar then hurried to the guard on his right and took out his datapad from his pocket. Activating it, the Jedi Knight found the app that acted as a map through the entire prison facility in a few moments.

Before he could begin memorizing the outline, two more guards, both females this time - one a dark-skinned human, and the other green-skinned Twi'lek - came rushing in from down the intersection where he defeated the guard whose datapad he was carrying. Both of those guards took out and aimed their blasters for Raynar, but he sent out another telekinetic shove to the guards' arms, causing them to unwillingly redirect their aim back into their chests. They both collapsed from the stun bolts they received.

Raynar then looked back down the left side of the corridor that he just left to find a male Bothan guard and a female Devaronian guard suddenly appear. He sent out another telekinetic wave against their heads, knocking them both unconscious.

Knowing that it would be a while before security sent anymore guards against him, Raynar redirected his attention back to the datapad and quickly memorized where he to go. With that done in a few moments, he turned the 'pad off, put it in his pants pocket, and headed up the corridor where he knocked out the two female guards.


	28. Chapter 28

The negotiation for the freedom of the Jedi had begun within the Senate Rotunda. Chief of State Shesh was in the center of the grand hall on top of its famed raised dais with two, light-skinned male human sycophants, one sitting at each side whilst she stood.

One of the floating discussion pods around the hall was carrying the Hapan representatives; Ambassador Hego Damask II, Dr. Puilab Ruk, and two female Hapan guards.

"The Chair recognizes the Hapes Consortium," Shesh reluctantly stated.

"Chief of State Shesh," Damask called formally through the Rotunda, "delegates of the Senate. To put it plainly, Her Majesty, Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo of the Hapes Consortium, will not tolerate the illegal action of abducting and detaining the members of the Jedi Order captured so far. As Chief Shesh herself is already aware, the Queen Mother has threatened to open up war against the Galactic Alliance. I must ask everyone here, do we really want to go through another war?"

Immediately, murmurs began to spread throughout the Rotunda over what Damask had said, and from what Shesh could make out from most of them, she could discern that they were quite agreeable murmurs.

She sighed. Already this session began, and Damask had quite a lead on her with just a simple question. No wonder Tenel Ka sent him over as an ambassador.

.

Raynar had finally located a turbolift that would take him up to the specialized, ysalamari-filled level that was holding all of the Jedi here. It opened upon his touch, and he wasn't surprised to find several guards with rifles trained up him. He used this opportunity to throw up his hands and send a Force wave against them that knocked them all out. He used the Force again to drag all of their unconscious bodies out of the lift before stepping in and closing the door by pressing the **UP** button.

It wasn't long, however, before the elevator suddenly stopped.

_Emergency from security_, Raynar thought, more annoyed than frustrated. He then blew a hole up through the ceiling and leaped up to land on a portion of the lift's roof that was still stable. Next, he bounded up to grab the bottom of the level above him.

Raynar did this several more times until he reached the level containing his fellow imprisoned Jedi.

.

"Order!" the sycophant to Shesh's left, Heay Puja, called throughout the Rotunda to silence all of the murmuring delegates.

Everyone quieted again. But alas, given the arrogant smirk on Damask's face, he pressed on.

"As you can see, Chief Shesh, it appears that most of this body agrees with my sentiment. The government that you run has gone through many trials and tribulations ever since its inception during the Yuuzhan Vong's conquest of this galaxy. And now, given all the losses that the Galactic Alliance has incurred in recent years, what with the Second Galactic Civil War, the conflict between the Jedi and the Lost Tribe of the Sith, the Second Swarm War, and of course this recent battle against the newly-reorganized Smugglers' Alliance, I personally don't think this Galactic Federation is even ready for another major conflict. and I do believe, Chief Shesh, that twice before, Her Majesty Tenel Ka has informed you of this fact, did she not?"

"She has, Ambassador Damask," Shesh answered as evenly as possible.

"And yet, during her brief disappearance," Damask said, "you went back on your word and abducted the lot of them from Shedu Maad. You took advantage of the chaos and rioting that followed in Tenel Ka's temporary demise, thus threatening to prompt a war against a much superior force that can very well threaten to wipe out the civilization that this planet stands for!"

More murmurs of agreement around the Rotunda, and again, Heay Puja had to declare, "Order!" just to silence them all again.

"Chief Shesh," Damask said once silence followed again, "let me conclude, at this time, that what you have ordered your military to accomplish was not only illegal, but it is morally inexcusable, in my humble opinion. Therefore, that is why I ask you to relinquish custody of all members of the Jedi Order back into the hands of the Hapes Consortium, call off whatever manhunts you have on Jedi who remain sequestered on missions elsewhere in the galaxy, and both of our respective governments can forget that this ever happened." He then sat back down, saying nothing more.

.

The first thing did after grabbing the lip of the entrance to the level where all the Jedi were jailed was use the Force to blow the door open. He leaped in and found that he was in a four-level cell-block, all containing at least two Jedi. On each floor contained eight guards, and Raynar could see intervals of ysalamari across the outsides of the cells, blocking out all of the Jedi's uses of the Force.

All of them except for Raynar.

Upon seeing his arrival on this level, the eight guards leveled their blaster rifles up at him, but again, like he did all the other times, all it took was a Force shove to send them all flying back. They weren't knocked unconscious, though, so Raynar quickly snatched their rifles out of their grips using his telekinesis before any of the guards could react.

He then flung the rifles up to the next level to knock out all eight of the guards there with one blow to each of their heads just. Meanwhile, the guards from the last two levels above headed for the turbolifts that would carry them down to confront Raynar.

Prior to confronting those guards, however, the loose Jedi Knight had jumped in among the crowd of guards he had downed upon this level, and used Force-speed to knock them out almost simultaneously. Then, when the guards from the last two levels finally reached him, he used the Force to propel them up to catwalk above their heads, knocking them out in an instant before he carefully lowered them back to the ground.

"Time to go mobile!" Raynar declared as he moved to the nearest Jedi cage to free the occupants there.

.

"Ambassador Damask," Shesh began, "from the way I see it, and forgive me for my frankness, but the Jedi Order's incarceration here on Coruscant is something that they had coming. As I made clear to Queen Mother Tenel Ka in our previous conversations, it is the Order who are the provocateurs in this situation, not I or anyone else in the Galactic Alliance. The ban on the Jedi's presence anywhere in Galactic Alliance space was as clear as it could get, and three times, they had violated that ban."

The pod containing the representatives from the Five Worlds of Corellia detracted from the wall of the Rotunda and began to spin around Shesh's raised dais. "Objection!" the female Selonian declared. "There have only ever been two instances of the Jedi violating their ban! Jesmin Tainer was never a Jedi, and she does not deserve her incarceration!"

"The chair does not recognize the Five Worlds of Corellia at this time," Shesh replied. She then looked back at Damask's pod. "And in either case, regardless of how many times the Jedi Order had violated their ban, every single member deserved to be imprisoned at the Armand Isard Correctional Facility once Jedi Master Jaina Solo Fel was discovered to be present months ago, at the very least! The Galactic Alliance has every right to harbor these criminals, and they deserve whatever justice that a fair trial deems for them."

.

Once one of the turbolifts opened up, Raynar managed to free half of the trapped Jedi on this level. He swiftly turned in the direction of the opening lift, only to find that he didn't sense any hostile intentions from the half-dozen guards who poured out, which was why he didn't immediately send out a Force wave to knock them out.

"Need some help there, pal?" the human male leader of the guards said.

"What?" Raynar asked.

"We're part of Booster Terrik's escape plan for the Jedi," the leader explained. "We've been biding our time for the past couple days, but thanks to you, looks like we can help you guys out earlier than expected."

"Well, then, don't just stand there," Raynar said before turning to free more of his fellow Jedi.

.

"A fair trial, Chief Shesh?" Damask asked. "Honestly, I somehow doubt you would grant the Jedi that accommodation."

"What are you insinuating, Ambassador?" Shesh had to restrain herself from growling out those words.

"I'm insinuating that, given your obvious bias against the Jedi, it seems more than likely to me that you would sooner eliminate them outright than ever give them even a false fair trial if it weren't for your democracy," Damask said.

"How dare you imply this, Ambassador Damask?" Shesh declared as Heay Puja's commlink beeped, prompting him to turn away to speak into it privately. "Whatever allegations you may have heard from that claim are completely false and untrue!"

"Not from what I'm seeing so far," Damask replied promptly.

.

"Can you tell me how you're able to use the Force with so many ysalamari around, Jedi Thul?" Grand Master Hamner asked after he, and all the other Jedi, were freed from their cells.

"To put it simply, Grand Master Hamner, I found a hole in my ysalamari bubble," Raynar answered.

Hamner was silent for a moment before saying, "We'll talk more about this later. Right now, we must make our escape."

"I'm glad you're finally seeing what needs to be done," Master Cilghal remarked at his side as they and the other Jedi began leaving through the turbolifts.

Raynar was grouped with Hamner, Cilghal, and the leader of Booster Terrik's spies in one of the elevators, which allowed him to know what was going on now. "Our transports are up on this building's roof," the leader said. "From there, they'll run us past the Defense Fleet in orbit, and we'll be home free once the _Errant Venture_ drops out of hyperspace, which should be..." He looked at his wrist chrono. "Ten minutes or so. We already commed the captain to let him know that the breakout would be earlier than expected."

"Oh, good, another battle that could endanger civilian lives," Hamner replied sarcastically.

"Hey, it's either uncertain peril for the 'gracious' citizens of Coruscant or the certain doom of the Jedi, Grand Master Hamner," the leader of the breakout squad said. "We'll choose the former, thank you very much."

Before Hamner had anything to come back with, the turbolift door opened along with all the others, and every Jedi and breakout squad member piled out to rush for their shuttle transports. It wasn't long before they were all inside their respective vehicles and flying off into Coruscant's skies.

.

"Why, Ambassador Damask, I would have you know..."

Shesh trailed off when Heay Puja interjected with, "Excuse me, Chief."

The Chief of State turned away from Damask's direction so that Puja could speak with her privately for a moment. When Shesh turned back to Damask, her face had turned red from anger.

"Ambassador Damask," Shesh restarted, her voice as composed as it could be now, "I assure you, I would grant the Jedi a fair trial if they could stand it. For how could we possibly grant them a fair trial if they are escaping incarceration?"

Murmurs of concern passed around the Rotunda this time, and after Puja called for order once more, he plugged his datapad into a socket somewhere on the dais to bring up a HoloNet news broadcast, narrated by Perre Needmo, of transport shuttles racing past Galactic Alliance Star Destroyers above Coruscant and hurrying for the _Errant Venture_, which just dropped out of hyperspace again.

"Ambassador," Shesh said, this time with more frustration in her tone than not, "I fail to see how you could possibly side with these criminals or represent a Consortium willing to support these superhuman thugs."

Dr. Ruk pointedly cleared his throat, prompting Damask to briefly turn away from Shesh to get an affirmative nod from the scientist. The Muun turned back and asked the Chief of State, "A moment?"

"By all means, don't waste your time," Shesh replied rather harshly.

Damask turned back to the Nautolan. "What is it?"

"Does this mean we'll be forced to leave Coruscant before we get the chance to finish the portal device?" Ruk asked.

"Even if the Jedi aren't here," Damask said, shaking his head, "there's still the chance that Shesh, in her bottomless arrogance and stupidity, would still declare war on the Consortium after this. We could use that, at least, to pretend to attempt to stop a war. And in the meantime, when we're not at these sessions, we can finish up on the device."

Ruk nodded in understand as Damask turned back to face Shesh. "So, where were we, Chief Shesh?" the wily Muun asked.


	29. Chapter 29

"Let's hope a vidcam didn't catch us jumping out of that shuttle," Hamner stated quietly as he, Cilghal, and Raynar left the alley that they had just landed in.

Beforehand, Raynar quickly informed Hamner and Cilghal of Darth Plagueis's presence in the Senate Rotunda. Hence, the leader of the escape squadron, Jaim, agreed to slow down their shuttle long enough for them to jump out of the ship and into this alley with Force-assisted super-speed after the boarding ramp had been lowered. They now had their hoods pulled over their heads to disguise them as commoners on the pedwalk as they inconspicuously headed for the general direction of the Rotunda.

"Hey, you three with the robes, stop!" a harsh masculine voice called out from behind them. "CSF!"

Raynar sighed. "So much for not getting caught."

The three Jedi threw off their robes and used the Force to propel them backwards to at least temporarily confuse the CSF member who called them out. Raynar, Hamner, and Cilghal then sprinted to the end of the pedwalk ahead of them, pushing past crowds of stunned and scared people before entering a corridor that ended with a viewport.

Hamner then took out and activated his lightsaber - as they were given to all of the Jedi once they boarded the shuttles - and the Grand Master cut a swath through the window for the shard to fall miles below. Meanwhile, Cilghal and Raynar activated their own weapons and deflected the bolts that were coming from the CSF officers that they were fleeing from back to the floor and ceiling of the corridor.

Hamner then jumped through the hole in the viewport and was shortly followed by Cilghal and Raynar respectively, to land on top of an airbus heading for the Rotunda. It wasn't long, however, before they caught the attention of a CSF speeder that immediately flashed its lights and sirens on.

"Follow me," Hamner informed the other two Jedi.

As soon as he leaped up, Cilghal and Raynar followed suit to land on top of an airtaxi before leaping for the roof of another closed-top car. The three of them continued to do this all the way to the Senate Rotunda, all the while managing to lose the various CSF speeders that were after them.

Minutes later, after they landed at the public entrance to the Rotunda, Hamner turned to Cilghal and asked her, "I was surprised you actually didn't question my judgment this time, Master Cilghal."

"You can gloat later, Grand Master Hamner," Cilghal countered. "We have a Sith Lord to stop." She then turned to enter the Rotunda with her fellow Jedi.

.

"Captain Terrik," the voice of Jaim came on the right arm of Booster's command chair of the _Errant Venture_.

Fighting against the rocking that the _Venture_, assisted by several Smugglers' Alliance flagships again, was taking from enemy fire, Booster pressed the reply button. "Yes, Jaim?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Grand Master Hamner, Master Cilghal, and Jedi Raynar Thul have stayed behind," Jaim answered.

"Their problem," Booster dismissed. "Do you know why?"

"They're hunting down a Sith Lord, apparently."

"I wish 'em all the luck then," Booster said. "They can find their own way off Coruscant. We're leaving with the Jedi we have."

.

As soon as Hamner, Cilghal, and Raynar entered the lower corridors of the Rotunda, the entire building went into lock-down immediately. The corridors before and behind them were beginning to be blocked off by blast-walls that were lowered from the ceiling. The three Jedi managed to make it through under three lowering blast-walls before they found themselves blocked off with four other beings; a male Bothan, a female Falleen, a male Ithorian, and a female Wookiee.

The corridor they were now in began filling up with coma gas through the four corners of the closed-off portion of the corridor.

Deactivating his lightsaber and hooking it back to his belt hastily, Hamner quickly knocked out the Bothan with one punch to the snout before creating two Force-bubbles for two smoke-pouring corners of the room. Cilghal followed suit as she swiftly defeated the Falleen and Wookkee with a singular Force wave that knocked them unconscious once they hit the wall behind them. She then created two Force bubbles with the other two smoke-pouring corners, blocking off the coma gas from coming through.

Raynar, meanwhile, managed to kick the Ithorian square in the head, knocking it out instantly.

"Raynar!" Hamner called. "Cut our way through!"

Raynar nodded and moved back to the direction the three of them were running toward and he plunged the blade of his lightsaber against the blast-wall.

But instead of melting through, the blade was deflected.

"My lightsaber can't penetrate the wall!" Raynar declared.

"It seems they made these walls were made to resist lightsaber blades," Cilghal stated as she fought to keep her concentration in maintaining the Force bubbles against the two streams of coma gas.

"Raynar!" Hamner called. "Do something!"

Shutting off his lightsaber and hooking it back onto his belt, Raynar closed his eyes while slowly lifting his hands up to chest level. After a while, he pushed his palms forward and unleashed a particularly powerful Fore blast that not only tore through the blast-wall, but also sent it flying through to crash against the next blast-wall. This caused a chain reaction in which that blast-wall crashed into the other, and then the other, until there was a clear path for the turbolift up ahead.

"Good thing there was no one else in this corridor," Raynar remarked before he sprinted ahead.

The two Masters then followed Raynar as he headed for the lift, allowing their Force bubbles to dissipate behind them as the area they were once in was flooding with coma gas.

"I think the turbolifts would be shut down by now," Cilghal stated as the three of them neared the elevator.

Raynar unhooked and activated his lightsaber again, cutting through the closed lift doors and allowed them to fall outward, stepping out of its way in the process. He looked back to Cilghal. "Bounding up to the Rotunda will still be a lot faster than taking the stairs, Master Cilghal."

Raynar turned back and stepped into the lift. He then cut around the ceiling, creating a hole big enough for him to jump through as the circularly-cut piece of elevator fell before him. He jumped up and landed on a stable section of the lift's roof, then bound to the wall ahead, planted his booted feet against it, then sprung back in a back-flip that carried him up and away. His feet then planted themselves against the closed doors of the next level before springing off to head back for the opposite wall again. He repeated this process until he made it to the top level, with Hamner and Cilghal following him.

Once Raynar made it to the top level, he quickly deactivated and hooked his lightsaber back onto his belt just as he sent out another Force wave for the turbolift doors ahead, blowing them outward before he landed on the floor in a forward roll. He sprung up from his resultant crouch and turned to find Hamner and Cilghal just arriving behind him.

The Jedi Knight then turned back and began trotting down the corridor that he and the Masters were in, the two of them following his lead, and began heading for the closed-off public entryway to the Rotunda hall. Along the way, they were confronted by several guards who shot at them, but the Jedi easily deflected their shots back at their guns, destroying them, before the guards themselves were subsequently dealt with via either Force blows or other physical attacks that didn't involve lightsabers.

Once the three of them made it to the public entryway, Raynar began cutting through the locked door. After it fell in, Hamner took the lead with Cilghal in tow, leaving Raynar to be the one following behind. The three of then found themselves standing over a ledge midway between the floor and ceiling of the Rotunda hall, overlooking thousands of panicked delegates who were screaming at their arrival. All of the pods had been returned to their rightful places in response to the lock-down.

The three Jedi then began looking out among the thousands and thousands of pods, using the Force to sharpen their vision and see if they could find a suspicious Muun among them, with the possibility of a Nautolan accompanying him. There were many Muuns though, not one of them with a Nautolan, several of them with human or Hapan accomplices, and all of them appeared to be cowering at the sight of the Jedi.

Their search was cut short when a hoversled containing half a dozen armored security guards armed with blaster rifles flew in for them. But before any of the guards could fire upon the Jedi, Raynar used the Force to send out a Force wave that blew out the hoversled's controls. It then began to fall to the ground, and would have resulted in a distinct explosion had Raynar not slowed it down with the Force, seeing to it that the sled landed safely. Then the Jedi Knight yanked the rifles out of the guards' hands, up to his level, and with a flick of his wrist, the rifles were all ripped apart.

Meanwhile, when Hamner located an indistinct cowering Muun in the Hapan pod, who had two female guards with him, he noticed a another cowering presence there who remained unseen.

"Let's check up there," Hamner pointed to the Hapan pod with his lightsaber.

The three Jedi then jumped into a nearby pod, only to jump to the next pod across from them, and they continued to bound across the Rotunda before its screaming delegates until they reached the Hapan platform, where the Muun with the Hapan guards regarded them with fear.

The guards quickly brandished their blasters for the Jedi, only for the two Masters to slice the barrels off with their blades before knocking them out with single kicks up their jaws.

Which now left the Muun with the cowering Nautolan behind him, lying prone to the floor of the pod.

Where the three Jedi couldn't see him from their original vantage point.

All three Jedi leveled their weapons up at the Muun's throat. "Surrender or die, Darth Plagueis," Hamner intoned.

"Surrender? Darth Plagueis?" the Muun replied in convincing askance. "I don't know what you're talking about, Master Jedi! I am Hego Damask the Second, Ambassador of the Hapes Consortium! I have been sent here by Her Majesty herself to negotiate the deal for the Jedi Order's freedom from the Galactic Alliance's custody! It should be you who should be surrendering, not only because of all the trouble you're causing right now! But also because of your illegal breakout from the Armand Isard Correctional Facility half an hour ago! I come here to help you, and _this_ is how you repay me?"

"Nice try, Plagueis," Cilghal countered. "Even if we were to buy the story of a Muun representing the Hapes Consortium, and even if we were to fall for you shadowing your Force presence from us, that still doesn't explain why you have Doctor Puilab Ruk with you. The Jedi Order was told about Ruk's association with Plagueis after that police massacre in the abandoned warehouse in this planet's underworld!"

"Would you believe that I rescued Dr. Ruk from this Darth... Plagueis, was it?" Damask asked, still playing dumb.

"We would love to hear that story," Hamner replied wryly. "When you're in a cell in the Jedi Order's Temple on Shedu Maad."

"I'm telling you, I rescued Doctor Ruk from this hijacked AA-9 freighter while I was in my _Munificent_ frigate in the Transitory Mists-"

"Save it," Raynar interrupted. "Even if you could keep up your lie, we could easily read Ruk. Now we can either do this the easy way or the hard way; you and Doctor Ruk come with us peacefully, or we're going to have to engage in a duel you're likely not to get out of."

The young Jedi Knight then looked over the Hapan pod to send out a Force wave that knocked back the Galactic Alliance guards that were climbing the Rotunda platforms to reach the Hapan pod.

"Well, what's it gonna be?" Hamner asked.

Damask remained silent as he stared back at the three Jedi with a blank expression, completely at an impasse as to what he should do now.

.

"Enough of this," Shesh muttered as she watched the standoff between the Jedi and Damask. She then looked down at her control panel, input the override code to the controls for the Rotunda's pods, selected to control the Hapan one, and began inputting the destruct code for it.

"What are you doing, Chief Shesh?! Heay Puja asked as he and the other sycophant on the opposite side looked horrified at what she was doing. "You'll provoke an intergalactic incident that will surely result in war!"

Shesh stopped and looked at Puja evenly. "Then so be it." She looked back, completed the code, and entered it.

.

The Jedi's senses told them of the imminent destruction of the Hapan pod, prompting them to immediately deactivate and hook their lightsabers back to their belts before Hamner tackled Damask down to the Commenorian pod below. Cilghal followed after she picked up Ruk in her arms, and Raynar was last as he carried the unconscious Hapan guards over his shoulders. He landed just as the pod went up in a blazing inferno, prompting a whole new wave of mass hysteria from the Rotunda's delegates.

"Thank you," Damask said as Hamner got off of him. "You saved our lives."

"Shut up," Hamner barked as he looked at the downed Muun.

.

Growling, Shesh opened up the compartment that contained the emergency defense holdout blaster and aimed for the Commenorian pod to take out Grand Master Hamner.

"No!" Heay Puja declared as he tried to redirect her arm.

But the Chief of State shoved him off and actually elbowed the sycophant behind her in the face before she redirected her aim. By the time that occurred, the commotion on the dais had attracted a significant amount of attention, and Hamner was already aware of what was going to occur. Still, she took her shot, and naturally, it was deflected back in her direction, specifically to take out her gun.

But then Puja tackled her and took the laser in the back as they collapsed to the floor of the dais.

.

"Oh, I think we'd better get out of here," Raynar commented after seeing one of Shesh's sycophants sacrifice his life for her.

"Agreed," Hamner said, regret in his tone for accidentally killing an innocent person in the crossfire.

He turned, pushed past the two Commenorian representatives, and cut through the podium's exit door. After it collapsed outward, he then pointed it back at Damask, who just stood up from the floor of the pod.

"You're coming with us," Hamner intoned.

"As you wish," Damask replied reluctantly as he followed Hamner through.

They were soon joined by Cilghal, holding Ruk, and Raynar, who dropped the Hapan guards on the floor of the Commenorian pod.


	30. Chapter 30

The _Errant Venture_ and its aiding ships from the Smugglers' Alliance dropped out of hyperspace in an uninhabited system light-years from the Coruscant system.

"Thank you, Captain Terrik." The standing Jaden Korr nodded to the seated Booster, placed on his comfortable couch, as the two of them and the rest of the Masters, who also stood, gathered in the captain's cabin.

Jaden then picked up his commlink from his belt and dialed Grand Master Hamner's comm frequency. Seconds later, the Grand Master's voice came through. "Who is this?"

"Grand Master Hamner, this is Master Korr," Jaden said. "I and the rest of the Masters are safe aboard the _Errant Venture_. We're out of the Coruscant system, and we'd like to know how goes your progress in neutralizing Darth Plagueis."

"Master Cilghal, Jedi Thul, and I have all captured Plagueis and his associate Doctor Puilab Ruk," Hamner answered. "We're now all hiding."

"Where?" Jaden asked.

"I'm sorry, Master Korr, but I can't tell you that, in case this frequency might be monitored by the Galactic Alliance," Hamner replied. "Thank you for letting me know about what happened to you and the other Masters. Are any of the other Jedi all right?"

"We all managed to make it off in one piece," Jaden answered.

"Excellent," Hamner said. "I'll comm you later, I don't know how long, to update you all on mine, Master Cilghal, and Jedi Thul's progress with Plagueis."

"Wait, before you hang up, why is Plagueis still alive, Grand Master?" Jaden asked.

"First of all, because we don't kill enemies who've surrendered and are not making any active attempts on our lives, Master Korr," Hamner replied evenly. "If he continues to cooperate like he is right now, we'll be bringing him right back to Shedu Maad where he'll be imprisoned, most likely for the rest of his life. I'm surprised you forgot that. Second of all, there's something here on Coruscant that Plagueis will answer for us."

"Is it also something you can't tell us?" Jaden asked.

"Correct," Hamner answered affirmatively. "Anyway, we have to go. Oh, and before I sign off, Master Korr, I'm placing you in charge of the Order in my absence."

"Me?" Jaden asked, shocked. "But Grand Master Hamner-"

"No arguments here," Hamner interjected. "With Master Cilghal with me, the Solusars' relative inexperience in handling the Jedi Order, and my frank inability to trust the very Master I myself appointed, Barratk'l, I'm leaving the Order in your hands, Master Korr."

Barratk'l growled at that.

"May the Force be with all of you," Hamner said before signing off.

"Well, you're the boss now, Acting Grand Master Korr," Booster said. "What shall we do now?"

Jaden sighed in reaction to the responsibility now placed upon his shoulders. "Continue course for the Transitory Mists. This time, we don't make any unnecessary stops until we get there."

.

"Milady!" Klira said as she hurried into Tenel Ka's throne room aboard the _Dragon Queen II_ again. "Urgent news from Coruscant! Again!" She then proceeded to inform the Queen Mother of the events that happened when the session regarding the fate of the Jedi was in the process; the Jedi's breakout thanks to Booster Terrik's forces, and three of them kidnapping Ambassador Hego Damask II after murdering an associate of Chief of State Shesh.

"This is terrible," Tenel Ka admitted with a grave tone.

"What's most interesting about the kidnapping," Klira said, "was that the Jedi accused Ambassador Damask the Second of being a Sith Lord named Darth Plagueis."

"Really?" Tenel Ka asked. "And why would they believe that?"

"One of them - it was Master Cilghal, I believe, Milady - claimed that the Jedi Order had been informed that this Darth Plagueis was working with Doctor Puilab Ruk," Klira answered. "The very same doctor, mind you, who also served as an ambassador for the Consortium."

"I see," Tenel Ka said. "What was Ambassador Damask's response to this accusation?"

"Apparently, he claimed that he had saved Doctor Ruk from this Plagueis," Klira informed her. "Before he could elaborate, the Jedi cut him off, as they clearly didn't believe in him."

"Do you believe that he is innocent of being a Sith Lord, Klira?" Tenel Ka asked.

Klira looked back at her Queen Mother in askance. "Milady?"

"I asked you a question," Tenel Ka said in a deadpan tone. "You will answer it."

"Well, I..."

"Well, you what?"

"Honestly, Your Majesty?"

"I would have you punished if it were any less than the truth."

"Very well, I think that Damask really is a Sith Lord, Your Majesty," Klira said in a rush.

"You _do_?" Tenel Ka asked. "And why would _you_ think that, chamberlain?"

"Well, frankly, it seems kind of obvious, Milady," Klira answered. "Like I informed you before, he just seems... so unpleasant. Like he's faking everything he says and does like one of the Galactic Alliance's holodrama actors. And with the kind of power he has - what with communicating to you the way he does, for instance - it just seems kind of obvious for me to draw to the conclusion that he really could be a Sith Lord, as the Jedi claim."

"Interesting conclusion," Tenel Ka said.

After an awkward moment, Klira asked, "Do you mind if I ask you what you think of all of this, Your Majesty?"

"Until I see any reasonable evidence that Ambassador Damask the Second is, in fact, a Sith Lord," Tenel Ka stated, "his status as Ambassador of the Consortium shall remain intact. And I also hope that the pilots I've sent for him who doubled as his personal bodyguards are doing their hardest in working with the Coruscant Security Force in finding him and Doctor Ruk."

"They are, Milady," Klira answered with a sober nod.

"Excellent."

"And what about this situation with the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi, Your Highness?"

"Terrik is probably bringing the Jedi back to Shedu Maad already," Tenel Ka said. "I will allow him that. The Order itself will not receive any punishment, as they were unfairly captured, so as far as I am concerned, they had every right to escape like they did, even at the risk of civilian casualties. I will have a word with Grand Master Hamner, Master Cilghal, and Jedi Thul when they can be confronted for their crime.

"As for the Alliance, even in spite of what Shesh did in risking Damask's life twice in a row, I will further hold back on declaring a war between our governments. At the very least, our ambassadors should be saved, and declaring war on them will only put their lives at a higher risk of danger than they already are."

"And then after the ambassadors are saved?" Klira asked.

"We will see where Shesh takes things, Klira," Tenel Ka said.


	31. Chapter 31

Something wasn't right. Allana could feel it through the Force.

She put her hairbrush down on the counter before her and turned away from the mirror to head to the exit of her cabin. She then opened the door up with a push of a button, and stepped outside. The door closed behind her automatically.

There was no one else in the corridor with her but a midsized blonde chamberlain off to her right.

"Chume'da!" the chamberlain called out, rushing to Allana. "What are you doing out of your room? You're not yet fully healed from the traumas you've endured!"

"I know," Allana said without inflection. "But I need to see my mother right now."

"Well, I can get her for you-"

"She'll say she's busy," Allana interrupted. "I know that will happen when you return to me."

"How do you know that?"

Allana simply stared at the chamberlain for a moment before answering. "The Force told me. Now take me to where she is right now."

"Listen, Chume'da, your mother will be really angry if she sees that you are out of your cabin-"

"I don't care. She needs my help."

"What do you mean?" the chamberlain asked.

"What's your name, chamberlain?"

"Klira, Chume'da."

"Klira," Allana affirmed. "You've been around my mother lately, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have."

"And have you noticed anything particularly... strange about her?"

Klira was hesitant in her response. "Yes, I have, Chume'da."

"Then you will lead me to my mother at once, no matter what she tells you."

Klira nodded. "At your command, Chume'da."

.

When the door opened again, Tenel Ka wasn't surprised to see Klira step in again.

"What is it, Klira?" she asked, slightly irritated at her reappearance so soon.

Instead of answering, the chamberlain stepped into the room to allow the little redhead girl in, as well.

"Allana!" Tenel Ka exclaimed upon seeing her daughter. She then glared at Klira in incredulity. "Why is she not back in her room, chamberlain?"

Klira hesitated before answering. "She insisted that she come to you, Milady."

"You are not to take orders from the Chume'da, Klira," Tenel Ka said. "At least not yet. Return her to her cabin immediately."

"She won't do it, Mommy," Allana stated. "Not until I've helped you."

"Help me?" Tenel Ka asked. "Help me in what, my child?"

"From the influence that corrupts you now," Allana said. "I don't know how I didn't sense it before, but I now know that it's been part of you since the Bringer of Tranquility brought you back from the dead."

"Allana, you're not making any sense," Tenel Ka said. "There is no influence that is corrupting me. Klira, take her back to her cabin at once."

"No," Klira replied without hesitation.

"What did you just say to me, chamberlain?" the Queen Mother growled angrily.

"I said no, Milady," Klira repeated. "You're not as reasonable as you were before you died. I cannot trust a Queen Mother whose actions I view are so faulty for one who's been in your position for so long now."

"What did I tell you about questioning my actions?" Tenel Ka asked. "You're a mere chamberlain. Even if you were educated in such things, you have no say in how Hapan politics work."

"Mommy, you're not well," Allana said. "Please, let me expel the darkness that lies within you."

"You will do no such thing," Tenel Ka stated harshly. "You will return to your cabin, right now, or you will be punished for your insolence, just as the chamberlain here will endure very soon."

"You know, I wasn't really requesting that I expel the darkness," Allana said. "That was only a formality."

Allana then charged forward and leaped up at her mother seated in her throne.

The Queen Mother then sent out a Force wave against her daughter from both hands. But to counteract the attack, the Chume'da erected a Force shield around her form, allowing the wave to pass harmlessly over her as she continued for her mother.

Allana then trounced Tenel Ka and wrestled her off the throne, where they both tumbled down the stairs that led to the austere chair. When they landed against the greater floor of the grand room, though, it was Tenel Ka who was on top of her daughter, and with her one arm, she pinned Allana's left wrist against the floor.

But she was too late to do anything about the free wrist, for Allana used it send a minor pulse wave against her mother's cheek. That sent Tenel Ka flying sideways, and she hit the bottom step of the stairs, collapsing prone to the floor.

Allana took advantage of the opportunity to roll on top of her mother's back and grab both sides of her head. She was just beginning to send some of her power through her mother's mind, but before she could really get into the flow of things, Tenel Ka used her one hand to grab Allana by the hair and fling her across the room.

The little girl crashed against the wall upside down, and then she collapsed prone to the floor. She then turned to her back and watched helplessly as her own mother began to approach her while unhooking and activating her green-bladed lightsaber.

"You've been a very naughty girl, Allana," Tenel Ka intoned.

Then Klira took out her emergency holdout blaster from within her pristine robes and aimed it at Tenel Ka.

The Queen Mother stopped in her tracks and turned to regard the rebellious chamberlain. Tenel Ka then smiled in amusement. "Treason, Klira?"

"No less treasonous than attempting to murder the Chume'da of the Hapes Consortium, no matter who you are," the chamberlain responded. She then squeezed off a shot.

Naturally, Tenel Ka deflected the resultant laser bolt and sent it back into Klira's chest, leaving a scorching hole there.

The chamberlain looked down at the burned wound for a moment before looking back up at the Queen Mother with a betrayed look on her face. She then fell back dead, the blaster slipping from her grasp.

Tenel Ka then swung her lightsaber in the direction of her daughter, who was rushing in. But Allana ducked beneath the swing and palmed her mother's hand, sending her rancor-tooth weapon to the ceiling where it shattered. The blade was gone the instant the handle hit the ceiling.

Allana then tackled her mother to the floor and once again grabbed both sides of her head. The Queen Mother the swung a fist out to strike her daughter, but this time, Allana was prepared, as she already erected a Force shield to protect her entire body, except for her hands from harm. Tenel Ka vainly struck against the shield for a long while before she suddenly screamed in pain.

Something was trying to eat away inside Allana's mother now. It was trying to kill her, for the treachery that the Chume'da was enacting. Immediately, Allana attacked it with the Force, and fought with everything she had at her disposal to counter what was essentially a safeguard meant to end her mother. The safeguard countered through the Force, and the two of them went back and forth like lightsaber duelists for what felt like an eternity.

When the battle between the Force-constructed safeguard and the one deemed to be the Jedi Queen concluded, it was the light that triumphed.

In the realm of the Force, all of the darkness inside Tenel Ka was instantly expelled by intense light white, and it left through the bulkheads and walls of the _Dragon Queen II_ to dissipate into nothing in cold space.

When that was done, Tenel Ka fell unconscious, and Allana hugged her form just as several Hapan guards rushed in to assess the situation.


	32. Chapter 32

Tenel Ka's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw leering over her was the face of her redheaded daughter staring back at her with happy expectation.

"How are you feeling, Mommy?" Allana asked. "The doctor said you would be all right, but a little sore in the head."

As she found herself lying in her bed within her personal chamber, Tenel Ka grabbed her own head in response to the pain in her temples. "The doctor has that correct. It feels as if I have been bashed in the head multiples times by a rancor. But otherwise, I am okay. What happened to me?"

"I saved you from the influence of Hego Damask," Allana explained. "The Force told me that you were under his manipulation. I had to bring you out."

"No wonder I attacked you and killed Klira," Tenel Ka replied in realization. "Or why I didn't think before I allowed Damask to act as Hapes's representative." Then her eyes widened in further comprehension. "Damask!"

Allana nodded. "I know. He is on Coruscant, probably doing whatever he wants-"

"It is not just that," Tenel Ka said as she sat up in bed. "Klira told me, before you freed me, that Damask is actually a Sith Lord named Darth Plagueis. I was informed by the Jedi Order beforehand about him. Obviously, when Klira informed me of this news, I did not believe her because of his control over me. But now I can see that it all makes sense."

"What are you going to do now, Mommy?" Allana asked as her mother stood up from her bed.

"I am going to stop a Sith Lord," Tenel Ka replied.

.

With a lightsaber blade pointed at the back of each of their heads, Plagueis and Dr. Ruk were forced into the empty, abandoned room of the rundown apartment somewhere deep in Coruscant's Vongformed underworld. They were halfway through the room before they felt the heat of the blades near their craniums disappear, and they then carefully turned around to face their captors.

The Mon Calamari Jedi Master and the human Jedi Knight - Cilghal and Raynar Thul, Plagueis learned from listening to the three Jedi's conversations on the way down here - continued to hold their blades up in the Muun and Nautolan's direction. Between them, Grand Master Kenth Hamner, of another reality - oh, how that thought was so sweet to Plagueis - crossed his arms and glared at the Sith Lord.

Hamner looked like he was about to say something before Plagueis's head perked up in interest as he felt something occur through the Force. In an instant, he knew what it was.

The Chume'da, what he invested so much effort in to molding as another pawn, saw through his facade and also freed her mother from her influence, even managing to get past his safeguard.

Now his status as Ambassador of the Hapans could no longer be counted upon.

"What's the matter, Plagueis?" Hamner asked in scorn.

Plagueis sneered. "Wouldn't you like to know, Jedi?" he retorted.

Ignoring him, Hamner cut to the chase. "We know that you and Doctor Ruk have been constructing something that is turning anyone who touches it into ash. What is-"

Before Hamner could finish that sentence, the Sith Lord sent out a particularly powerful Force wave that the three Jedi immediately jumped out of the way from. The two Jedi Masters dodged off to Plagueis's right, with Hamner unhooking and activating his lightsaber in the process, while Thul leaped to the other direction. The Force wave destroyed the door that led out of the room and the accompanying wall around it.

Growling, Plagueis allowed his lightsaber to slip down through the sleeve of his right robe and into his hand to activate it. While Ruk rushed back to one corner of the room to cower, Plagueis leaped over to Hamner and Cilghal.

The Masters met his horizontally-angled blade with their laterally-angled blocks. However, before any more strikes could occur between either of the three combatants, Thul had already rushed in behind Plagueis and struck to impale his lightsaber through his thin frame.

But instead of burning right through, the blade deflected away from Plagueis's body, and Thul had to make sure that he kept his lightsaber from bisecting himself from the virtual ricochet.

Thul didn't have any time to comprehend why he failed to kill Plagueis, as the Sith Lord already disengaged from the Masters to lock blades with him. Hamner and Cilghal's attempts to cut down Plagueis with his back now turned to them were as successful as Thul's.

In response to the dual strike against his immortal form from the Jedi Masters, Plagueis turned so that his sides were facing each of the divided Jedi. He then began to trade blows with them for several seconds before flipping forward, spinning around, and, now that he was facing all three at once, began to duel with each of them more leisurely.

After a several more lightsaber clashes, Plagueis flipped up and over Cilghal, managing to decapitate her in the process.

Upon landing and facing the shocked human Jedi, Plagueis smiled and said, "I always did like fish-heads."

He then rushed back in to duel them further. The blows went on for another quarter minute before Plagueis managed to spin past one of Thul's attacks to kick him in the chest, sending him flying back to the wall behind him. He collapsed prone to the floor, temporarily incapacitated, which now left Plagueis to duel Hamner alone.

"If you are the best that your Order has to promise, Grand Master Hamner," Plagueis said as they continued to go back and forth, "you've at east let me know not to be surprised when I kill more Jedi in this era."

Two strikes later, Plagueis parried away one of Hamner's strikes, spun in close to the human, and impaled him with his lightsaber.

Thul looked up and watched in horror as Plagueis pulled his lightsaber out of the Grand Master's torso and let him collapse dead to the floor. The Sith Lord himself turned and looked down at the Jedi Knight, smiling maliciously.

"I will give you one chance, and one chance only, boy," Plagueis said. "Leave now, and when we next meet, I will make your death quick and painless."

Naturally, Thul declined that proposal by instead leaping across the room to Plagueis.

The latter managed to block the former's block, parried it away, and chopped away his lightsaber-wielding hand, revealing circuity beneath.

"Prosthetic, huh?" Plagueis commented as Thul fell back to the floor, writhing in pain. "I don't think you'll need to worry about anymore of those when I'm through with you."

He swung his blade, cutting off Thul's natural hand, increasing his torment. His shriek of pain only increased when he simultaneously cut off both legs.

Then, deactivating and hooking his lightsaber back to his belt, Plagueis reached out with the Force and not only ripped away Thul's prosthetic hand, but also the human's cauterization wounds away from his natural arm and legs. Immediately, blood began pouring out of the now-seeping wounds, and Thul's screams gradually became faint as he was losing his lifeline.

"We must go," Plagueis said t the cowering Ruk. "I felt my influence from Tenel Ka vanish. It won't be long before the Galactic Alliance is informed that our ambassadorial statuses have been stripped away, Doctor. We have to get back to that warehouse and finish up on that interdimensional portal device." He then moved to leave the room.

"But what about the cops?" Ruk asked as he followed the Muun out.

"At this point, they shouldn't be a problem now," Plagueis replied without looking back.

.

All of the remaining Jedi Masters of the Council - Jaden Korr, Barratk'l, Kam and Tionne Solusar, Lowbacca, Zekk, Tekli, and Tesar Sebatyne - convened in their meeting room within Shedu Maad's Jedi Temple. They all took their seats, and Jaden Korr almost immediately announced, "As many of you have just felt through the Force, with Grand Master Hamner and Master Cilghal's passing, that officially makes me his official replacement."

"Thiz one doez not envy you your position, Grand Mazter Korr," Tesar hissed sardonically.

"It's a bad time to be a Jedi at all these days, Master Sebatyne," Jaden stated soberly. "But that's not why I've convened this Council. I've assembled this meeting, as Queen Mother Tenel Ka has an important assignment for the entire Order."

"Entire Order?" Zekk asked. "What does she want us to do?"

"Her Majesty will explain," Jaden said.

He then pressed a button beneath his section of the Jedi roundtable, and appearing in the air above them, over the center of the table, was a blue-hued Tenel Ka, who faced away from Jaden to regard the rest of the Masters.

"Greetings, Jedi Masters," Tenel Ka stated. "Grand Master Korr has already informed me of Grand Master Hamner's passing, and the reason for that is why I ordered Master Korr to call for this meeting. For, you see, the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis, whom you have been hunting since the Killiks took over the Chiss Ascendancy for a brief time, is now on Coruscant, and I have no doubt that he has killed Grand Master Hamner, Master Cilghal, and Jedi Thul.

"I know that what I am about to say will shock all of you, but considering that whatever Plagueis is doing on Coruscant, he must be stopped at all costs. Which is why I will be declaring war on the Galactic Alliance, with our first act being the invasion of Coruscant."


	33. Chapter 33

Plagueis and Ruk hid at an open window sill of a rundown apartment in the Coruscant underworld. They looked out through the broken window to find the warehouse where they constructed the nearly-finished interdimensional portal device swarmed all around with members of the CSF.

"Why are they still here?" Plagueis asked no one in particular. "They already know who we are, and they can't so much as touch that portal device without disintegrating on contact. So what's the point of them still being here?"

"You think Tenel Ka already told Shesh about us?" Ruk asked.

"Maybe," Plagueis stated. "Still, we've come too far, and we're so close now. We have to risk it, in case Shesh wasn't informed about the illegitimacy of our statuses."

"Must I remind you that not all of us are immortal?" Ruk retorted. "I don't want to take that risk."

"Too bad, we're taking it," Plagueis said, and then moved to exit the room they were hiding in.

Ruk merely rolled his eyes in a mixture of irritation and concern for his own well-being before he tailed behind the Muun.

A few minutes later, the two of them, having exited the building, were approaching the CSF-guarded warehouse, and while Ruk approached with caution, Plagueis was more brazen and one would say overconfident if not for his immortality. All of the cops around them stared at them with glares of hatred, but otherwise, they made no move to stop them.

Ruk moved to speak to his Sith accomplice. "Either our immunity is still working," he whispered, "or they're merely allowing us to go in to trap us. I still don't think we should risk... Oh, never mind."

Soon, they entered the warehouse and approached their interdimensional project. After they arrived and stopped near it, Plagueis and Ruk turned to all the cops there.

"If you would all be so kind as to leave us be," Plagueis said. It clearly wasn't a request.

With reluctant nods, the cops all turned and left the warehouse, the last one to leave closing the door behind him.

"Well, that was easy," Ruk stated with a surprised tone.

"So, working at our hardest, how long will it take us to complete this thing, Doctor?" Plagueis asked.

"Two hours, I approximate," Ruk said.

"Then let's get to work."

.

After all the action that occurred in the Rotunda yesterday, Shesh thought that she deserved a single day's rest. But no, here she was at her desk, having to write a formal apology on her datapad to Heay Puja's family for his death at the hands of Grand Master Kenth Hamner.

Shesh's groaned impatiently as her in-desk comm beeped. "What?" she asked irritably once she answered it.

"Chief Shesh," Desha Lor's patient, mousy voice said, "Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo would like to speak with you."

Shesh growled. "Put her on," she replied reluctantly... again.

The blue holographic hue of Tenel Ka's head appeared over her desk.

"What is it that you want this time, _Your Majesty_?" Shesh asked, making Tenel Ka's title sound like a curse.

"I would like to let you know, Chief Shesh," Tenel Ka replied evenly, "that Hego Damask the Second and Doctor Puilab Ruk's statuses as ambassadors of the Hapes Consortium have been revoked, as it has been brought to my attention that Damask is really a Sith Lord named Darth Plagueis."

Shesh grinned. Finally, something to be elated by, even if Tenel Ka was basing her revocation of Damask and Ruk's statuses under the claim of a Jedi. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Your Highness," Shesh replied genuinely. "I will alert the CSF immediately and let them know that Damask and Ruk are to either be arrested or neutralized along with their Jedi captors."

"I would advise you to leave Grand Master Hamner, Master Cilghal, and Jedi Thul alone, but that would be unnecessary," Tenel Ka stated. "As you would no doubt ignore such a plea, but that it would be pointless either way, given that they are dead."

"Dead?" Shesh asked.

Tenel Ka nodded. "Plagueis killed them."

"What a shame," Shesh replied sarcastically.

"For the Jedi Order, it is," Tenel Ka stated. "That will be all. Goodbye, Chief Shesh." Then she cut the line off from the other end.

Shesh then moved to contact the authorities about who they needed to go after now.

.

"How much longer before we're finished this now?" Plagueis asked as he and Ruk continued to work on finishing their building of the portal device.

"Only another hour," Ruk answered.

Just after Ruk said that, the warehouse door then opened up, and a squad of officers then rushed in, firing on Plagueis and Ruk immediately.

The Nautolan scientist immediately ducked away from his work and hit the floor of the device. The Muun Sith Lord, on the other hand, turned to the onslaught of incoming laser bolts and erected a Force wall to dissipate the flashes of lethal light into nothing.

Plagueis sighed in frustration before he turned back to Ruk. "How much time can you finish this on your own?"

"Gimme an extra half hour," Ruk said as he immediately leaped back to work on a conduit in one corner of the device.

"I can keep that up," Plagueis replied.

As the cops continued to shoot against the Force wall, the commlink of the female human leader of the squad, Sgt. Pran Raima, beeped. Letting one hand pull down on the trigger of her blaster, she reached her free hand for her commlink to answer it.

"Sergent Raima, what's the status of the suspects?" the voice of her boss, Captain Deron Obrim, asked.

"Suspect Damask is holding off our shots with a Force wall," Raima answered. "And he doesn't seem to be straining from the effort. I think our packs will lose their juice before that wall even begins to waver!"

"All right," Obrim stated. "Then we'll blow the roof above them and take 'em down from there. You keep 'em distracted 'til then, Sergent."

"Roger," Raima acknowledged before she signed off.

Moments later, back behind the wall, where Plagueis continued to maintain it, he looked over to Ruk. "Whatever you hear next, don't look up, and don't stop working."

"Understood," Ruk said without hesitation, not even slowing from what he was doing.

Seconds later, the roof above them exploded, and the slabs and chunks of debris and concrete that began raining down upon Plagueis and Ruk was suddenly deflected when the former extended the Force wall into a sphere that flung the debris for the police force ahead.

The cops stopped shooting and turned to run, but they didn't make it for the door before they were all crushed to death by the debris.

Just as those cops died, however, the officers above began rappelling down through the giant hole they created, vainly firing more lethal blaster bolts down upon their Muun and Nautolan targets, which still dissipated into nothing against Plagueis's Force sphere.

The Sith Lord then inverted his sphere to encompass the rappelled the officers above, and used it to instantly crush them into a gory mess he then flung toward the debris-crushed cops ahead. As the gory mess dispersed when the sphere that killed them dissipated, it spread out upon the debris and the collapsed bodies of their colleagues.

Without hesitation, Plagueis erected a new Force sphere to hold off the next wave of cops.


	34. Chapter 34

_I can bet that there's going to be another attack on Coruscant sooner than I could ever guess_.

Just as Admiral Bwua'tu thought that, the female Bothan lieutenant at one of the comm consoles of the _Admiral Ackbar_'s bridge - her name was Ul'ye, Bwua'tu remembered - called without turning away, "Admiral, thousands of ships are dropping out of hyperspace!"

"I wonder what Terrik wants this time," Bwua'tu muttered before he pressed a button on the right arm of his chair to activate the fleet-wide frequency. "All forces, turn in the direction that the _Admiral_ will be facing." As he said that, Bwua'tu's flagship was already turning to the direction that the Smugglers' Alliance would no doubt drop out of.

After the _Ackbar_ finally faced the direction that the enemy ships would be dropping out of, they found not the capitals of the Smugglers' Alliance, but Hapan Battle Dragons that began firing immediately.

.

"Have you captured Damask and Ruk yet, Captain Obrim?" Shesh, sitting in her office desk, asked through her personal commlink.

"No, Chief Shesh," Obrim said from the other end. "Damask's holding us off with a Force wall, it seems."

Shesh frowned. So it appeared as if Hamner's assertion that Damask was a Sith Lord was indeed correct. "Well, don't you have any ysalamari with you? I hear those can take away a Jedi or Sith's Force powers."

"We have some ysalamari on the way," Obrim replied. "They should be here any minute now."

"Fine, let me know when you've finally either apprehended or neutralized Damask and Ruk, Captain," Shesh said before signing off and replacing her commlink.

Just as she did that, the door to her office opened, and the head of her security, the male Rodian known as Horass, and two yellow-skinned human male guards came in.

"Chief Shesh, we must get you to safety immediately," Horass stated. "If you will follow us down to the basement of the Palace, please."

"May I ask what's going on?" Shesh asked as she stood up from her desk and walked around it to join the security guards.

"It seems that the Hapans have decided to declare war on the Alliance, ma'am," Horass answered.

.

"Only half an hour now," Ruk muttered to Plagueis as he continued to work on the interdimensional portal device.

"Good," Plagueis replied before he widened his arms away from his body.

Seconds later, all the cops before and above Plagueis and Ruk instantly disintegrated.

Looking up from his work, temporarily stopping his progress in completing the portal device, Ruk first stared in amazement to the direction that the cops that were just ahead of him and Plagueis, then up above where the rappelling cops once were.

"You didn't bother to do that before?" Ruk asked Plagueis.

"Get back to work," Plagueis said as he soon joined the scientist. "We only have a few minutes now."

"Until what?"

"Don't worry about that just yet, Doctor. Just focus on finishing this up."

Ruk halted his progress for about two seconds once vibrations characteristic of explosions could be felt rattling throughout the warehouse, then he resumed his progress again, working faster this time, before Plagueis even needed to glare at him.

.

The near-invisible StealthX fleet raced past around the projectiles being fired between the Galactic Alliance and Hapes Consortium fleets, as well as the resultant explosions that were now beginning to occur. The Jedi starfighters also avoided engaging in any individual dogfights against Alliance fighters, even when some StealthXs were being blown to molecules either incidentally or deliberately. Regardless of the resultant losses, however, an acceptable majority of the StealthX fleet managed to make it through and descend through Coruscant's atmosphere at Grand Master Jaden Korr's lead.

Once they were within the skies of the planet, it wasn't long before the exteriors of the StealthXs shifted in their camouflage to adapt to their new environment on Coruscant. While they still suffered losses from the planet's inner defense, the fleet overall still managed to escape the skies and dive to the underworld, where they lost the less maneuverable enemies.

Now that the Jedi were gliding through the underworld of Coruscant, Jaden decided to comm Booster Terrik. "Captain?"

"Yeah, Master Korr?"

"You have the location of that warehouse?"

"Laji should be sending it to you right about... now," Booster replied before a map appeared on one of Jaden's consoles.

Jaden spared it a glance, then said, "Thanks, Captain. We'll let you know when we take down Plagueis." He then signed off before activating the frequency that all Jedi had access to. "The warehouse has been found. Follow my lead."

.

"There! We've finally finished it!" Ruk exclaimed as he and Plagueis stepped out of the portal device to admire their handiwork.

Just as the scientist said that, he and the Sith Lord turned to the open exit of the warehouse, where they were hearing the faint sounds of sonic booms nearby.

"Impeccable timing," Plagueis commented with a hateful frown.

He then erected a Force shield around himself, Ruk, and the portal device seconds before the entire warehouse began collapsing on top of them from explosions coming from the outside.

Once all the flaming debris settled to burn, Plagueis blasted away all the debris, quickly smothering the inferno and leaving only himself, Ruk, and their precious device out in an open field of Vongformed structures.

The two of them then looked off to their right in response to more sonic booms. Before they could see anything, they saw lasers heading towards them, seeming to come from the sky.

Again, all it took was a Force shield from Plagueis to dissipate the lethal bolts of light before converting that shield into a wave that headed for the sky.

.

"Bank away now!" Jaden called over the Jedi frequency before swerving his StealthX starboard.

He felt many of the other Jedi who were once behind him obey his command, though there were a few who ended up as victims of their own destroyed starfighters. Still, they continued on for Plagueis and Dr. Ruk.

Once all the StealthXs straightened out in their flight paths, Jaden announced, "At my command, land your ships.

"We're going after Plagueis personally."

.

Allana saw the doom of the Jedi when they went up against Darth Plagueis, the faux Bringer of Tranquility. The immortal Sith Lord managed to slaughter each and every one of them mercilessly, leaving none alive before his wrath. Then, in the wake of their deaths, Plagueis would take over all of reality, and Allana would be a pawn of his in ruling this galaxy. Her mother would die, and all other civilizations would collapse, only to rise up under Plagueis's tyranny.

If the Jedi die, Allana thought, then no one can stop Plagueis.

And with the forces of the Galactic Alliance and the Hapes Consortium engaging in battle now, no one would stop Plagueis from activating that device of his and ensuring that he would be the most powerful being in all of existence.

Which was why she had to do it.

Standing up from her bed, Allana walked to the exit of her chamber and opened the door. She stepped out to find no one else around; they were all busy wherever they were because of the battle over Coruscant now.

Without anymore hesitation, she stepped out, closed the door, and moved toward the direction of the corridor she was in that would lead her to the _Dragon Queen II_'s hangar bay.

_Cousin Trista_, she called telepathically through the Force, _I need your help_.

.

"Shouldn't we start the device now?" Ruk asked Plagueis nervously as they watched the barely-discernible StealthXs land from tens of meters away to nearly a klick back.

"Not yet, Doctor," Plagueis responded without turning his gaze away from the Jedi fleet. "I want to savor every moment against the Jedi."

"This is a waste of time," Ruk muttered.

Plagueis growled, then stared hard at the scientist. "Just as you are now." He then sent out a powerful Force wave that disintegrated the Nautolan scientist before turning back to the Jedi fleet before him.

Not much longer, the StealthXs landed, shut off their engines, and then their canopies opened up to unleash their pilots, who sprang through the air and landed from bare meters from Plagueis to the beginning of the StealthX line way back.

The army of Jedi, led by a brown-haired, light-skinned human male at the head of the pack, all unhooked and activated their lightsabers as they faced Plagueis.

"Darth Plagueis," the leader said, "I am Grand Master Jaden Korr. Surrender now or prepare to die."

Plagueis smiled. "I believe it is you and every single one of your Jedi who should prepare to die, Master Korr." He then used the Force to propel his lightsaber from his belt to his hand, upon which it activated.

The Sith Lord then jumped forward to engage all the Jedi.

.

Allana was joined by her cousin Trista Zel in the _Dragon Queen II_'s hangar bay as they approached the one remaining shuttle. Before they could get there for Trista to open the landing ramp, however, the two of them were then halted by a commanding voice.

"Stop!"

Allana and Trista turned to find Tenel Ka with two female bodyguards at her sides as she approached her daughter and cousin.

"Where do you think you are taking the Chume'da, cousin?" the Queen Mother asked when she and her guards finally stopped a meter from them.

"Down to Coruscant, Your Majesty," Trista answered with a subservient nod.

"Why?"

"Because I told her to, Mommy," Allana answered for Trista.

"What? What do you think you are doing, my child?"

"Saving the Jedi Order," Allana answered. "I saw in a vision that they'll all die by Plagueis's hand if I don't do something. I'm the only one capable of stopping him. The Force told me so."

"Well, the Force did not tell me so, so you are not going down to Coruscant, young lady," Tenel Ka affirmed.

"We don't have time for this," Allana said. She then made a minor hand motion.

Next thing everyone in the hangar knew, the Queen Mother collapsed. Her bodyguards kept her from hitting the ground. They then looked back up to Allana.

"She'll be fine," Allana told them. "I used my abilities from my time with the Killiks to send out a telepathic signal to knock her out for a couple of hours. Those abilities, just to let you know, went unhindered during my time in isolation, which caused those close to me without Force-sensitivity, like Doctor Gordom, to die. Now that I'm control of them, I no longer have to worry about them." She then looked at Trista. "Let's go."

Her cousin nodded before she began inputting the code that would open up the shuttle's boarding ramp.

.

Among the crowd of Jedi who had come to confront Darth Plagueis - that is, all of the Jedi left in the Order - Jaden watched in horror as their target Sith Lord slaughtered them in droves, and seemingly at his leisure.

And even when he wasn't batting away the countless strikes from Jedi lightsabers, any blades that did hit him seem to have been deflected off of his body, apparently without any effort from him. Jaden didn't know how Plagueis was doing this, and right now, he didn't care. All he knew was that this monster had to be stopped before he wiped out what remained of the Order all by himself.

Unfortunately, given how there were so many Jedi around Plagueis, not all of them could reach him to help their dying comrades, which was why Jaden was now at the back of this crowd instead of actively engaging him. So he could only helplessly watch as Plagueis managed to slaughter Jedi Knights and apprentices that Jaden didn't even know the names of before he began to target those more familiar to Jaden.

With one swift stroke, he was able to decapitate both the Horn siblings before impaling Radd Minker through the torso. Jedi Knight Izal Wav was the next victim, as he was bisected down the middle by Plagueis's blade. The three Barabel Knights - Wilyem, Zal, and Dordi - were respectively mauled by Plagueis's blade as he slashed them across their chests through individual strokes, killing them all instantly.

Plagueis then leaped through the air to land before Vaala Razelle and Yantahar Bwua'tu. He traded a few strokes with each of them as Jedi behind him, Sothais Saar and Turi Altamik, tried to cut him down. Plagueis soon stabbed Vaala through the face with his lightsaber before disintegrating Yantahar with a powerful Force-blast, and simultaneously killing Seha Dorvald and Doran Sarkin-Tainer, who were just behind the Bothan Knight.

Swiftly turning around, he managed to decapitate Sothais, but Turi ducked beneath the swing, only to be bisected across the chest before she fell back dead in two pieces. Jedi Knight Kunor Bann quickly rushed in to take Turi's place with a battle cry, but he only traded five strikes against Plagueis's blade before the Sith Lord parried it away to send a punch across his face so powerful that it ripped off the entirety of his face. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Some of the younger Knights became Plagueis's next targets, such as the male Duros Ramud, female Arcona Huli, and Ryn male Jayk. He impaled Ramud right through one of his red eyes before swiftly decapitating Huli's bulbous head from her body, and then promptly impaled Jayk through the chest.

Rosh Penin, one of Jaden's old friends, charged Plagueis from behind, only to be cut down across the chest in one swift stroke from the quickly-moving Sith.

"Rosh, no!" Jaden exclaimed.

He then leaped through the air and struck his lightsaber down for Plagueis, but the Sith Lord sent out a relatively weak Force wave - one powerful enough, through, to blow Jaden toward the back of the crowd again.

After landing on his feet like a sand panther, the first thing that ran through Jaden's mind as Plagueis continued killing Jedi was, _Why didn't he just disintegrate me?_

Jedi Waxarn Kel was the next to die by Plagueis's hand, getting his lightsaber arm cut off before being impaled by the burning red blade right through the side of his neck. Turning, he then dueled Tash Arranda, and promptly killed her by decapitation.

Wonetun - impaled through the forehead. Daye and Tam Azur-Jamin - simultaneously slashed across their chests. Hivrek'wao'Cheklev - had his horns cut off before being bisected down the middle. Corask Slen'da - impaled up through his Bothan muzzle.

The list went on and on and on as Jaden watched with his fellow Masters helplessly.

Soon, after Plagueis managed to impale and murder Twi'lek Knight Shul Vaal, the Masters found themselves to be the last Jedi standing against Plagueis. The Sith Lord turned to them and smiled maliciously.

"After all that, do you all still dare go up against me?" Plagueis remarked.

There was some hesitation as the Masters looked out among the army of bodies that Plagueis left behind. But when they looked back up to their sole murderer, they grimaced, and Jaden answered for all of them:

"Yes."

"And to think that the fun would end here," Plagueis said before charging for the Masters.

.

Trista did her best to pilot the Hapan shuttle past all the chaos and destruction of the battle between the Galactic Alliance and Hapes Cosnortium fleets, but alas, their trip to Coruscant was being slowed down by all the hits they were taking.

"We've lost shields!" Trista announced.

"Not to worry," Allana said as she extended her arms upward. "My Force shield can protect us."

"Very well," Trista said before continuing the journey straight for Coruscant, all projectiles that came in their direction simply being absorbed into the Force shield.

It wasn't long before they made it through Coruscant's atmosphere, and then Allana allowed her Force shield to dissipate away.

"Shields have been recharged," Trista announced.

"Head down that way," Allana pointed through the viewport.

Wordlessly, Trista turned her relatively modest descent to a steep dive for the Coruscant underworld, and in the direction that Allana indicated.

.

The Solusars were the first Masters to go, as Plagueis first impaled Tionne before following up on Kam by killing him the exact same way. He allowed husband and wife to collapse prone to the ground with each other in their final moments before moving on to the other Masters.

He then engaged Lowbacca and Tesar Sebatyne; he defeated Tesar by cutting off his left leg before cutting off his muzzle. He allowed the Barabel Master to collapse back to the ground before exchanging a few more blows with Lowbacca. He parried away one of the Wookiee's strikes and unleashed a Force wave that disintegrated him. Plagueis turned back to Tesar and, as Zekk and Tekli behind him tried striking him down, the Sith leisurely decapitated the Barabel.

He then turned around and dueled off Tekli and Zekk for a bit before kicking the former straight in her snout, breaking her neck on impact. As for Zekk, he took him out by punching him straight in the chest, sending him flying back several feet before collapsing dead to the ground.

"Too much pressure on his heart," Plagueis elaborated for the remaining Masters.

Who were now Master Barratk'l and Grand Master Jaden Korr, the last of the Jedi.

"Well? Come get me."

Jaden and Barratk'l spared each other a look before nodding. They turned back to Plagueis and charged.

The two of them dueled Plagueis the longest compared to any of the other Jedi, and they traded blows against him for a good half-minute before he whirled off to Barratk'l side and impaled her through the ribs. He then dragged his blade up across her body so that it fell back in two pieces lifelessly.

Without hesitation, Jaden engaged Plagueis all alone for a quarter of a minute before he fell prone to the ground by a stab in his left knee. His lightsaber rolled out of his hand, and Plagueis then stomped on it, completely destroying it.

"Before I kill you, Grand Master Korr," Plagueis said, leering down upon Jaden, "I want you to take one good look around you so that you may comprehend that the Jedi Order, as it is, is dead. And that you are the last of them. I want you to understand that you had failed to carry on the legacy that Luke Skywalker had established."

With no choice, Jaden, tears now streaming from his eyes because of the agony of everything that was lost, looked out upon the maimed and dismembered corpses of his fellow Jedi.

"And that with this one strike," Plagueis said as he raised his blade above his head. "I, Darth Plagueis the Immortal, will end the Jedi Order once and for all!"

Before he could bring his lightsaber down upon Jaden, however, Plagueis was stopped by the sound of a nearby sonic boom. He and the Grand Master looked up to find a Hapan shuttle flying back. They saw its landing ramp lower, and out jumped Chume'da Allana Djo Solo, her blue blade igniting from the handle of her lightsaber.

Even though her strike wouldn't have killed him, Plagueis blocked the incoming blade, but Allana managed to kick the Sith Lord in the chest, sending him flying back from the impact. He managed to execute back-flip midair and landed in a swift crouch on the ground before leaping up and glaring at the Chume'da.

"It's time to end this once and for all, Plagueis," Allana said.

The Sith Lord sneered. "What do you hope to accomplish, young one? You can't kill me. No one can. I am immortal." He then sent out a Force wave meant to disintegrate Allana.

But instead of doing that, the Chume'da continued to stand, unfazed. Plagueis's eyes widened in shock.

"Did you forget?" Allana asked. "Your Force powers don't work on me." She then sent out a Force wave of her own, sending Plagueis flying back again, and this time, he crashed on his back.

The next thing he saw, Allana was in the air and coming down toward him. He rolled out of the way of her lightsaber strike and stood up, bearing his own lightsaber against her.

"But mine still do," Allana concluded with a smirk.

"You're too late in either case, Chume'da," Plagueis said. "My interdimensional portal device has been complete, and the Jedi Order is now dead."

"He still lives," Allana said as she pointed to the downed Jaden. "And as long as one Jedi lives, the Order will never die."

"Since when did you support the Order now?"

"Since you decided to use me as an asset."

"Vengeful, are you now?" Plagueis retorted. "No wonder you could never by a Jedi. I can still accept you as an apprentice, though."

"I'd rather die," Allana returned.

"Then die, you will," Plagueis said before roaring and charging after the Chume'da.

The two of them then clashed sabers, and their duel began. Allana took the defensive, allowing herself to step away from Plagueis as he attacked like an aggressive animal. Eventually, when her back hit the wall behind her, she pivoted out of the way from a strike that would have bisected her down the middle, and her back was now to the still-downed Jaden.

Plagueis attacked again, continuing to force Allana back until she could feel that she was a few meters away from Jaden. She then leaped up and above her opponent, catching his strikes as she flipped midair, and upon her landing, Plagueis turned, traded a few more clashes against her, then Allana flipped back several times.

Plagueis charged again, this time putting some superhuman speed in his movements. Allana matched them strike-for-strike, never allowing him to even get a graze on her form. After a while, though, when it became obvious that he had been dueling her for far longer than any of the other Jedi he had confronted a few minutes earlier, Plagueis really allowed his anger, frustration, and hate for Allana to fuel his form.

It wasn't long before the superhuman speed in Plagueis's attacks died out, and he and Allana returned to dueling at relatively normal speeds. Yet his rage and fury continued to influence the way he struck all the time, yet he still could not even singe a follicle on his opponent's red hair.

Then she struck him in the side. While it did nothing to him, the fact that she managed to strike him only angered him more. More aggression than he ever thought he could muster bloomed in his being, and he continued to attack faster and harder, bordering on superhuman speed again. But once again, Allana didn't falter, and she tapped him again in his other side.

The duel kept on going like this, with Allana scoring ineffectual hits against Plagueis's form, and Plagueis not scoring a single hit on Allana's form. But it was clear that Allana striking Plagueis when it did nothing to him was to show that if he were still mortal, he would be dead now. One would think that such humiliation couldn't influence the way that Plagueis fought anymore, but one would be so wrong.

For what felt like an eternity for Plagueis, when he felt as if he reached the boiling point of his anger, Allana decided to stop him from forcing her back, and stood her ground. The Sith Lord continued to fight his hardest, with all the dedication that he felt he was worth, that he knew he was worth, but still, when superhuman speed was reached between them, there was still nothing that could be done against Allana, just as nothing could be done against him physically.

And then, when it seemed as if the duel would go on forever, Allana parried away one of Plagueis's strikes and committed a Force blow that sent him flying back. He scraped the ground with his back, and growled as he looked up.

"This is pointless!" he shouted. He then leaped to his feet and charged for his portal device.

But just when he reached it, a burst of electricity sent him flying back again. He hit the ground, and looked up, to see through the Force, that his device was now enveloped in pure light side energy.

Plagueis looked over to Allana, who was smiling back at him.

"Did you really think I would duel you after you told me that you're immortal if I didn't have some kind of ulterior motive?" Allana asked the Sith Lord.

"What have you done to my beautiful machine, you little brat?!" Plagueis shouted as he stood up.

"While we dueled," Allana explained, "I allowed the Force to take over my actions, an event that my father once experienced. That was why you couldn't strike me down, and because your power cannot conquer mine, it was only a minor challenge to take over your machine from your own power."

"No!" Plagueis cried.

"That security system of yours was pretty beneficial to the both of us," Allana quipped. "And even if I can't kill you, I can still stop you." She then reached out a hand for the device, sending out a powerful wave of her own.

"NO!" Plagueis shouted from the top of his immortal lungs as his interdimensional portal device exploded in a brilliant burst of white fire.

Plagueis was then consumed by the fire, while Allana and Jaden remained unharmed by the light side energy, which only empowered them, and healed Jaden's leg wound. All of the corpses and remains of the Jedi around them instantly disappeared without a trace, as if they were never there.

When the light energy fizzled away, Jaden stood up and stood next to Allana to look at where Plagueis and his machine once were.

"He's gone," Jaden stated. "It's all over."

"No," Allana said, looking up at the Grand Master of the Jedi. "Plagueis is immortal. Nothing can kill him."

"Then what happened to him?" Jaden asked.

"When I destroyed his machine," Allana explained, "it actually managed to open up a gateway to another dimension, just as Plagueis wanted."

"How does that work?" Jaden asked. "And why didn't we go in when we caught in the explosion?"

"Because I commanded it to do that when I took it over," Allana said. "I knew Plagueis would rush over to his masterpiece to vainly save it from destruction. So I had the machine open up into another dimension from which he could never return."

.

A white vortex opened up in the sky of Vongformed Coruscant, and Plagueis fell several stories before hitting the top of a roof. He stood up and looked around at the organic-covered cityscape that he was now in.

He heard the sound of an approaching aircraft coming, and he turned around to find a Yuuzhan Vong coralskipper headed his way.

Growling, he activated his lightsaber and leaped through the air to engage it in combat.


	35. Epilogue

The Hapan shuttle landed several meters behind Allana and Jaden, and the boarding ramp lowered to admit them. The two of them, having already turned to face the landing craft, headed toward it to board the vessel.

As the ramp closed up behind them, they headed to the passenger cabin, where they were met by the pilot, Trista.

"I'm sorry for your losses, Grand Master Korr," Trista said solemnly. "And I know that my sister will not take the news of her husband's death well."

"If it means anything," Jaden said, "he died bravely against one of the most powerful Sith Lords who ever lived."

"I doubt that will ease her grief at all," Trista stated in a matter-of-fact way. "Take your seat. We have to go now."

Jaden nodded and sat down as Trista turned to head back to the cockpit, with Allana joining her.

Soon, the shuttle lifted off and rocketed for the skies of Coruscant.

Minutes later, after the shuttle swerved its way through the battle still raging between the Galactic Alliance and Hapes Consortium forces, it finally managed to settle down inside the _Dragon Queen II_'s hangar bay, where Trista cycled the ship down to shut off its engines. She then lowered the boarding ramp and followed Allana and Jaden out to be met by Tenel Ka and an ensemble of guards.

The Queen Mother knelt and spread out her one arm for Allana, who rushed into her embrace. "Do not ever do that again, child. Promise me that," Tenel Ka said without breaking away from the embrace, her voice quivering with relief that her daughter was safe.

Allana broke away from the hug. "I can't promise that, Mommy," she replied evenly.

Tenel Ka firmed her lips and sighed through her nose. She then stood up to her full height and addressed Jaden, recomposing herself as the regal leader of sixty-three worlds. "Grand Master Korr, I see that you are in great need of new Jedi if you are to continue with your Order."

Jaden nodded stiffly. "I will do everything in my power to look through the galaxy for new members."

"The Temple on Shedu Maad can still be your home, if you want it," Tenel Ka offered.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be too busy to be settling anywhere," Jaden said.

"Very well," Tenel Ka said. She then turned away and headed for the exit of the hangar bay, her guards, Allana, Jaden, and Trista following suit.

Once they reached the bridge of the _Queen_, Tenel Ka sat down in her command chair and opened up the fleet-wide frequency. "Attention, all forces. We are retreating back to the Transitory Mists at once. We have accomplished what we came here to do."

"But, Milady!" the captain of the _Queen_ off to the side called. "We are so close to crippling the Alliance permanently. If we retreat now, they could-"

"We are leaving," the Queen Mother enunciated.

The captain then nodded, and sent out orders to turn the _Queen_ around.

Not much longer, when all remaining Hapan ships were facing away from Coruscant, they went to hyperspace, leaving the center of the galaxy behind.

.

Ford watched the news on his datapad as he sat in the exact spot where Plagueis's interdimensional portal device once rested. According to the HoloNet, following the Hapans' retreat from the Coruscant system, Chief of State Shesh emerged from the Imperial Palace, and in a matter of hours, managed to gain a sizable amount of media attention to announce that for the Consortium's actions, the Galactic Alliance was going to war with Hapes.

Of course, following that announcement, the Senator of New Caamas, Releqy A'Kla, called for a vote of no confidence against Shesh, a move that was largely supported by both the Senate and the public. While Shesh would remain the Chief of State for another month, it wouldn't be long before the next planetary election determined who would be her successor. As for the declaration of war against the Consortium, the Senate has voted to hold off war against Hapes until the next Chief of State determined what course of action needed to be taken._  
_

Of course, Ford had no doubt that after the Alliance elected Shesh's successor, they'll launch that war as soon as possible. And the interim time period would allow the military to build up its forces back to suitable shape.

Mimicking a sigh out of rumination, Ford shut off his datapad, clipped it to his waist, then picked up his commlink. He then activated the recording of the last conversation between him and Plagueis, which took place after he killed his and Dr. Ruk's three Jedi captors and prior to his return to the warehouse with the portal device.

"I had to kill Five-U, Master," Ford's voice lied on the recording. "He was becoming too much of a danger to our operations."

"Thank you for letting me know, Ford. Meet Doctor Ruk and I in the warehouse in six hours. Plagueis out."

The recording ended there. Ford clipped it back to his waist and mimicked another sigh.

"Think he's dead again?" a familiar voice called out from the side.

Ford looked up to find the astromech form of Five-U rolling toward him.

"Yes," Ford said in response to Five-U's question. Then, with scorn in his tone, "What are you doing here? And how did you know I'd be here?"

"Took a wild guess at that," Five-U answered. "As to why I'm here, well... I came to apologize."

"And what makes you think I'll accept your apology?" Ford asked, his tone as even as it could be.

"Well, why not?" Five-U asked.

"Not good enough."

Five-U then mimicked a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry for all I said to you. I should have never questioned you or Plagueis. And I'm sorry I called you a slave."

"That's better," Ford said, standing up and walking over to Five-U. "You're still gonna need to work things out with me. But for now, I'll take that apology."

"Thanks, Captain," Five-U said with genuine emotion.

"So what have you been doing since we've been apart?"

"I found a job," Five-U answered.

"Really? Where?"

"Mechanics shop in the mid-level area. There's an opening for a protocol droid now."

"How should I prepare for the interview?" Ford asked.

"You don't. They'll hire you on the spot, like they did me."

"Really? Why'd they make it so easy?"

"Shop's run by a droid freedom advocate," Five-U answered. "He hires you just for being a droid."

"Sounds like a reasonable man," Ford quipped.

"C'mon, follow me," Five-U said before turning around.

Ford followed with renewed enthusiasm.

"Oh, and by the way, Captain? Boss at the shop managed to help me masturbate again!"

.

Halfway between Coruscant and the Transitory Mists, the Hapan fleet dropped out of hyperspace so that it could see off a special passenger.

In the hangar of the _Dragon Queen II_ again, Jaden was viewed by Her Majesty, her daughter, her cousin, and her bodyguards as he prepared to climb the landing ramp of the shuttle given to him as a gift.

"Good luck, Grand Master Korr," Tenel Ka stated formally. "And be careful out there. A war has started."

"I will be careful," Jaden replied. "And may the Force be with you, Your Highness."

Tenel Ka smiled and nodded, allowing Jaden to turn away and enter the shuttle. The royal entourage then turned and left the bay, allowing the shuttle to take off and leave the Battle Dragon.

Two minutes later, when it was well away from the fleet, the shuttle launched for hyperspace in search of new Jedi.

.

"It is time for bed, Allana," Tenel Ka said as she tucked her daughter into bed. "And considering that you managed to defeat a Sith Lord when a Grand Master could not, I think it is safe to say that you deserve some rest."

Allana smiled. "We all deserve some rest," she said in a tone that contradicted her expression. "Especially now that we'll have to be fighting again real soon."

Tenel Ka's own expression fell gradually with Allana's. But instead of following up on that, she leaned in and kissed her child on the forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Mommy," Allana replied.

Tenel Ka then stood and turned to leave the room.

"Oh, and Mommy?"

Tenel Ka stopped and turned to face her child.

"I don't blame you anymore."

The Queen Mother smiled and nodded. "Goodnight, baby." She turned off the light and left the room finally.

With content, yet still keeping in mind the trials that would lay ahead, Allana fell asleep with ease.


End file.
